Recently, the Swedish newspaper, Dagens Nyheter (DN), published an article, “Angela Gui: Mänskliga rättigheter existerar inte i ett vakuum”, which alleged that the Chinese law enforcement authority “kidnapped” Gui Minhai and “tortured” him. The article is a complete fabrication seriously inconsistent with facts and intended to maliciously smear China, which is totally unacceptable. The Embassy has sent DN a letter to express firm opposition, and present China’s position as follows:

Gui Minhai has committed serious crimes in both China and Sweden. In the 1990s, Gui Minhai illegally established a school in Gothenburg and enrolled over 100 students from China to Sweden by deception. He swindled hundreds of thousands of US dollars this way and eventually led to the death of two students. On 23 June 1999, SVT broadcast a news report on Gui Minhai’ s fraudulent activities. To escape punishment of the Swedish law, Gui Minhai fled back to his hometown Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China, and has never returned to Sweden ever since.

In 2003, at 12:17 pm on December 8, Gui Minhai killed a young college girl while drunk driving in Ningbo and escaped from the scene. In August 2004, the Chinese court handled the case according to law and sentenced Gui Minhai to two years in prison with a two-year reprieve for the crime of causing traffic casualties. In November of that same year, while he was still on probation, Gui Minhai used a fake identity to get a passport and fled out of China. In 2015, Gui Minhai returned to China and turned himself in. The claim of Angela Gui and some Swedish media that he was “kidnapped” is a sheer false tale.

In October 2017, Gui Minhai was released in accordance with law after completing his two-year term for the crime of causing traffic casualties. In January 2018, he was suspected of several offences including illegally providing state secrets and intelligence overseas, and the Chinese public security authority used criminal coercive measures against him in accordance with law. This case is currently under investigation according to law.

The claim in the article that Gui Minhai was “tortured” is totally groundless. The Chinese side safeguards Gui Minhai’s lawful rights according to law. There is no so-called “torture”. On the contrary, the Chinese side has arranged thorough medical checkups for Gui Minhai carried out by senior medical experts. The diagnosis has shown that Gui Minhai is in good physical and mental condition and is not suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as alleged by some Swedish media. China handles in accordance with relevant international law and Chinese law and agrees in principle to the Swedish side’s request for a consular visit to Gui Minhai and providing medical services to him.

We wish to stress that China is a country ruled by law with a commitment to law-based governance in all areas. All people are equal before the law, with no exceptions. Any foreigner in China has to abide by Chinese law and regulations, with no super-national treatment. Though Gui Minhai is a Swedish citizen, his criminal case in China must be dealt with by Chinese competent authorities in accordance with Chinese law, in which no other side has the right to interfere. It is hoped that the Swedish side will respect the spirit of the rule of law and China’s judicial sovereignty. As a State Party to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, China has always attached great importance to and strictly fulfilled its obligations under this convention. In particular, in the process of advancing law-based governance in all areas, China has continuously deepened its judicial reform, strengthened protection of human rights, and made a lot of great tangible progress. It is hoped that DN will abide by professional ethics and principles, report on china on the basis of facts, and ensure objectivity and impartiality in reporting, so as to play a constructive role in enhancing mutual objective understanding between our two peoples. It is also hoped that DN will have the courage to publish our letter and let the readers learn about the truth. The Chinese Embassy in Sweden is willing to conduct open and candid dialogues on relevant topics with DN and its readers in an positive and constructive manner.

Source: Chinese Embassy