For years, Gui sold books about Chinese leaders in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong.
News headlines today: Feb. 24, 2020BEIJING -- A court in eastern China has sentenced a Swedish seller of books that took a skeptical look at the ruling Communist Party to 10 years in prison for “illegally providing intelligence overseas," in a further sign of Beijing’s hard line toward its critics.
For years, Gui sold gossipy books about Chinese leaders in the semi-autonomous Chinese city of Hong Kong. His was among a spate of high-profile disappearances that stirred unease over the central government's growing reach in Hong Kong, a former British colony that has been promised greater democratic rights than are afforded the mainland.
“Despite the authorities’ claim that Gui has somehow handed over ‘intelligence’ while in their custody, the reason for his targeting almost certainly relates to his attempted trip to Beijing with two Swedish diplomats in 2018," Poon said in an emailed statement. “We have noted the reports and are now seeking official confirmation about the case," the Swedish Foreign Ministry said in an email to The Associated Press. “We have consistently made it clear that we demand Gui Minhai be released so that he can be reunited with his daughter and family."
Human rights groups have repeatedly accused China of extracting forced confessions from individuals it perceives to be opponents of the Communist Party's rule. "We got no information that this was going on and had not had access to either the trial or been allowed to see the charges," Linde told SVT. “This is not at all in line with how diplomatic consular work is going. We have the right to gain access to Swedish citizens. We have demanded it, but didn’t get it."
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
China Sentences Bookseller Gui Minhai to 10 Years in JailA Chinese court sentenced a bookseller who was born in China and held Swedish citizenship to 10 years in jail on espionage charges, and said his Chinese nationality had been reinstated, underscoring Beijing’s increasing forcefulness in asserting jurisdiction over foreign citizens.
Read more »
Factbox: Latest on coronavirus spreading in China and beyondSouth Korea declared a 'red alert' on Sunday after a surge in coronavi...
Read more »
China braces for inevitable big hit to economy from virus, says XiChina will step up policy adjustments to help cushion the blow to the economy fr...
Read more »
Micro-pollution ravaging China and South Asia – studyTaking population into account, Bangladesh emerged as the country with the worst so-called PM2.5 pollution, followed by Pakistan, Mongolia, Afghanistan and India, according to the 2019 World Air Quality Report.
Read more »