The review commission has reviewed the work done by the government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the foreign authorities to achieve the release of Dawit Isaak and Gui Minhai.

The Swedish-Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak has been imprisoned in Eritrea since 2001. Gui Minhai, a Swedish-Chinese publisher and writer, has been imprisoned in China since 2015. Sweden has not granted consular or other access to Dawit Isaak since his imprisonment, and to Gui Minhai since 2018.

Investigation by the Board of Review

Commission President Helena Jäderblom opened the press conference by saying that the government and the other authorities have worked intensively and with great commitment in both cases, and that they have not seen any period of passivity.

However, the commission has found flaws in the work.

Especially when it comes to the initial stages, the investigation of basic facts, and legal analyses.

- It is important to act early in politically sensitive cases.

One should urgently identify and analyze different options for action.

Release work would also be simplified and improved if there was a compilation of basic facts together with important events, says Helena Jäderblom.

- There should also be regular legal analyzes of whether human rights have been violated, and what the national law says in the country in which you are imprisoned.

Helena Jäderblom also criticizes the fact that the Swedish authorities did not react more strongly when Gui Minhai was kidnapped from Thailand, and the handling of an attempt to transport him to Beijing by train, when Chinese police seized the train carriage and dragged Minhai out in front of the Swedish officials.

Criticism of the Foreign Ministry

Helena Jäderblom also directs criticism at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because the commission was not allowed to see all the information and documents in Dawit Isaak's consular file.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this is because the masked details are not relevant to the commission's report.

- It is a deficiency.

The commission has not been able to conduct a complete review of the case, says Helena Jäderblom.