Mark Swidan, an American businessman from Texas, has been wrongfully detained in China since 2012, accused of drug-related offenses without evidence. He was sentenced to death in 2019. The U.S. Government, the United Nations, and multiple NGOs, including the Foley Foundation, have called for his release.
More needs to be done urgently to secure his freedom.
Mark Swidan was arrested in November 2012 while on a trip to Guangdong province, China, to purchase building materials. Chinese authorities accused him of involvement in international drug trafficking despite evidence that he was not in China at the time of the alleged offense.
The Chinese judicial system, notorious for its lack of transparency, sentenced Swidan to death in 2019, with the penalty suspended pending review. This is a common practice in China that often results in life in prison.
In April 2023, the U.N. Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for his immediate release. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan resolution calling for his release. Secretary Antony Blinken raised the issue of wrongful detention of U.S. citizens in China during his meeting with Chinese officials in April this year.
None of these actions have brought Mark home.
For over a decade, Mark has been exposed to extreme heat, cold, malnutrition, and lack of medical care. These conditions have taken a toll on his physical and mental health. Every day Mark spends in detention his condition worsens. Mark needs the U.S. Government to act boldly at the highest levels to secure Mark’s freedom.
