China: RSF asks UN to deem Swedish publisher's detention as arbitrary
Publisher | Reporters Without Borders |
Publication Date | 28 July 2018 |
Cite as | Reporters Without Borders, China: RSF asks UN to deem Swedish publisher's detention as arbitrary, 28 July 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc6eeeb8.html [accessed 27 May 2023] |
Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
July 28, 2018 – Updated on August 2, 2018
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), yesterday, requested the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention regarding Swedish publisher, Gui Minhai, detained in China for three years and suffering from a neurological disease.
RSF submitted yesterday an application to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) for Swedish publisher, Gui Minhai, who has been detained in China for more than 1000 days and is suffering from a serious neurological disease. The purpose is to obtain the official recognition of the arbitrary nature of the detention and allow the UN to publicly question China on the subject.
"For already three years, the Chinese authorities have relentlessly persecuted Gui Minhai for his activities as an independent publisher while being deprived of consular rights and medical assistance," said Cédric Alviani, director of Reporters Without Borders East Asia office. "We hope that the UN, by officially recognizing the arbitrary nature of this detention, will fortify the international commitment for his release while he is at risk of dying in prison."
Gui Minhai, 54, is a Chinese-born Swedish citizen is one of the founders of Mighty Current, a Hong Kong publishing house well known for its books exposing the private lives of prominent Chinese leaders. He was initially abducted in Thailand in October 14, 2015 and mysteriously reappeared on Chinese state TV a few months later. Last October 2017, the Chinese authorities claimed they had "released" him while they in fact kept him under close surveillance.
On January 20, 2018, the publisher was arrested on a train while on his way to Beijing to seek a second opinion from the Swedish embassy's doctors following the diagnosis of a severe neurological disease. He is currently detained by Public Security Bureau of Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province and is suspected of "illegally providing state secrets and intelligence overseas."
Both Liu Xiaobo, a Nobel peace laureate and winner of the RSF Press Freedom Prize, and the blogger Yang Tongyan died last year from ailments that were left untreated while they were detained.
The People's Republic of China is ranked 176th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2018 World Press Index.