China is releasing three “wrongfully imprisoned” Americans, the White House says

China is releasing three Americans on Wednesday who the White House said were “unjustly detained,” Fox News confirmed.

“We are pleased to announce the release of Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung from detention in the People’s Republic of China,” said a National Security Council spokesman. “Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years. Thanks to this administration’s efforts and diplomacy with the PRC, all unjustly incarcerated Americans have a home in the PRC.”

Mark Swidan of Texas was 38 years old when he traveled to China on business in November 2012 to find flooring for construction work. He was arrested after drugs were allegedly found on his driver and translator, the Texas Tribune reported.

A United Nations report found Swidan had no drugs on him or in his hotel room, and records show he was not in China at the time of the alleged crime.

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Mark Swidan was arrested in China in 2012 on drug charges that the UN says are illegitimate (Mark Swidan family)

The UN report said that the 11 other people arrested with Swidan as part of the suspected human trafficking ring were unable to identify him and that the conviction was based on his visit to a factory that once produced methamphetamine.

His mother, Katherine Swidan, told Fox News last year that she wanted President Biden to call for Mark’s release.

“I want him to say his name. I want him to be strong and make some demands. Diplomacy is important, I understand that, but it has been going on for too long,” Katherine Swidan said at the time. “He’s not feeling well at all. He lost 100 pounds.”

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Harrison Li holds a photo of his father Kai Li in Palo Alto, California in January. (AP/Jeff Chiu)

Harrison Li, Kai Li’s son, told Fox News about a year ago that his father was arrested in China while traveling there for a memorial service for his own mother.

“He was not allowed to leave the plane. As soon as he landed at Shanghai Pudong Airport, he was taken away by agents from the Ministry of State Security and since then no one has been able to see him outside the prison,” Li said.

A website set up to raise awareness of Li said he had been “held in China since September 2016 on politically motivated charges of espionage and theft of state secrets.”

“He is currently serving a 10-year sentence in Qingpu Prison in Shanghai,” it said.

FILE – Families and friends of current and former hostages and detainees gather outside the White House in Washington on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, to ask the Biden administration for further help. (AP/Susan Walsh)

According to the Wall Street Journal, Leung, a permanent resident of Hong Kong, was also convicted of espionage charges in 2023.

He was first arrested in April 2021. A friend of Leung told the newspaper that he was involved in charity work for low-income elderly and students in Jiangsu province and had organized tours between the United States and China for musicians.

The releases come after U.S. pastor David Lin was released by China in September after being imprisoned for nearly 20 years in what the State Department deemed unlawful.

“I am overjoyed that Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung have been released and are returning to their families. I couldn’t be happier for Mark’s mother, Katherine Swidan, who has spent 12 years running a prison from her home in Luling, Texas. “Tireless fight to free Mark and make today a reality,” said Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Wednesday.

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“President Biden, Secretary Blinken, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Carstens, Ambassador Burns and their teams have worked tirelessly for years to ensure this success, and I am deeply grateful for all of their efforts,” Cruz added. “Negotiations aimed at securing the release of unlawfully detained Americans are among the most difficult and painful tasks facing our diplomats, and they have demonstrated relentless commitment, culminating in today’s release. This joyful news would not have happened, nor would these families have been reunited, without their work and commitment.

Fox News’ Kate Sprague, Andrew Mark Miller and Kristine Parks contributed to this report.