Responding to reports that the Chinese authorities have released Gui Minhai, a Hong Kong bookseller with Swedish nationality who went missing in Thailand in 2015 and later appeared in Chinese custody, Patrick Poon, China Researcher at Amnesty International, said:

“The news of Gui Minhai’s release is positive but must be treated with caution.

“It remains to be seen if he is genuinely free. At every step the authorities have shown a flagrant disregard for due process, from when he went missing to the so-called TV confession. 

“The system is designed to break people and force them to go along with the Chinese government’s version of events if they are to have any chance of being released.

“If Gui Minhai is truly free, he must be able to leave China if he wishes and contact his family, free from any harassment by the Chinese government.”