US Designates American Held by China as Wrongfully Detained
The designation makes his release a top U.S. priority as rights groups press Beijing to free more Americans held on disputed charges.
- On Thursday, the U.S. State Department officially designated Min Zin, a Myanmar scholar and American citizen, as wrongfully detained by China, elevating his release to a top diplomatic priority.
- Zin was apprehended by Chinese security services on June 3 inside a Kunming airport terminal after arriving for an academic conference; authorities later informed the U.S. embassy he was under criminal investigation for endangering China's national security.
- For nearly 11 weeks, he has been subjected to repeated interrogations, isolation, and detention conditions, according to a senior official, despite having previously utilized a valid Chinese visa for academic travel.
- This designation arrives shortly before President Donald Trump is set to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House, while advocacy groups and families of other detainees, including Youlin Chen, have pressed for his release.
- Zin is the second American academic designated as wrongfully detained in recent months, fueling claims by rights advocates that Beijing frequently engages in hostage diplomacy affecting a dozen to hundreds of Americans currently held unlawfully.
35 Articles
35 Articles
US designates academic Min Zin as wrongfully detained in China
The US State Department said on Thursday that it had determined after a detailed investigation that Min Zin, an American political analyst of Chinese descent detained by Beijing last month, was being improperly held. That formal designation shifts the case from a State Department consular issue to one handled by its presidential office dealing with hostage affairs. Thursday’s terse statement, which said the decision was made by Secretary of Stat…
US Declares Citizen Wrongfully Detained in China, Demands Release
A U.S. citizen arrested by the Chinese regime on spy allegations has been formally determined by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained, increasing the priority of his case ahead of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s expected visit next month. U Min Zin was arrested on June 3 when traveling to Yunnan, a southwestern Chinese province bordering Burma, also known as Myanmar. He was to attend an academic conference at the invitation of Chinese authori…
Trump Administration Demands Release of U.S. Citizen ‘Wrongfully’ Detained in China
China’s foreign ministry confirmed early Friday that U.S. citizen Min Zin had been arrested, as he was suspected of spying and endangering Chinese national security. Mark Schiefelbein/AP PhotoThe State Department has called for the immediate release of a U.S. citizen arrested in China on spying charges — a detainment that the department declared “wrongful” on Thursday.Min Zin is a U.S. scholar who was working in Myanmar and leading a think tank …
‘Please stay strong’: Brother sends message to American deemed wrongfully detained in China
By Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — The brother of an American scholar detained in China welcomed the news Thursday that he was declared wrongfully detained, saying he hopes that it will help lead to his release. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the wrongful detention determination after an “extensive review of the circumstances” around Min
(Washington = Yonhap News) Correspondent Lee Yu-mi = On the 20th (local time), the U.S. Donald Trump administration [regarding] Min Jin, a Myanmar-American scholar arrested in China on espionage charges, '...
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