
25 February 2020: Swedish publisher of Chinese origin Gui Minhai was sentenced to ten years in prison by the court of Ningbo in China on the charge of “providing intelligence” abroad. He will additionally be deprived of political rights for five years, reported The Guardian.
The #Chinese govt sentenced #HongKong bookseller #GuiMinhai to 10 yrs in prison on baseless espionage charges. As w/#Canadians #MichaelKovrig & #MichaelSpavor, he should be immediately released & sanctions considered under HK Human Rights & Democracy Act. https://t.co/ZZfP5rIgQg pic.twitter.com/5TRR9KulOR
— China Commission (@CECCgov) February 25, 2020
Minhai worked for the publishing house Mighty Current in Hong Kong, which published books with the content on the private life of the Chinese authorities.
According to CNN, the court statement says that the publisher admitted his guilt and will not appeal the sentence.
Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde requested that China releases Minhai.
Statement by the Spokesperson on the case of Gui Minhai – European External Action Service https://t.co/05oxX0KsdV
— Ann Linde (@AnnLinde) February 25, 2020