Sweden condemns China’s ‘brutal’ seizing of Hong Kong bookseller Gui Minhai and demands his release
Stockholm on Monday demanded the release of Gui Minhai and condemned Beijing over the “brutal” seizure of the Hong-Kong-based book publisher while he was in mainland China accompanied by Swedish diplomats.
Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said the “brutal intervention” against Swedish consular support for Gui last month took place “despite China’s repeated assurances” that he “was free at that time”.
Gui, a 53-year-old Swedish citizen, was arrested on a train to Beijing just over two weeks ago while being assisted by two Swedish diplomats – the second time he has disappeared in murky circumstances into Chinese custody.
We demand that our citizen be given the opportunity to meet Swedish diplomatic and medical staff, and that he be released
“China’s actions were in contravention of basic international rules on consular support,” Wallstrom said, adding the incident “raises questions about the application of the rule of law” and “the prohibition of arbitrary deprivation of liberty”.