The Biden Administration announced this morning that three American citizens it considered unlawfully detained have been released by China.
The Washington Post reports the three are on their way home and will soon be landing on American soil as part of a prisoner swap.
“They will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years,” the White House said in a statement.
Texan Mark Swidan has been in custody for 10 years on drug charges.
John Leung, an American citizen who established permanent residency in Hong Kong, received a life sentence in 2023 on spy charges.
According to NBC News, Chinese authorities arrested Kai Li in 2016 and sentenced him two years later for 10 years in prison for what his family calls baseless espionage charges.
Just this past September, China released American pastor David Lin who had been imprisoned since 2006 on a life sentence for contract fraud.
The Hill reports President Biden has raised the issue of wrongfully detained Americans several times during meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping over the past four years.
No announcement has been made on which Chinese prisoners have been released in exchange.
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