Swedish PEN: Take it with a large pinch of salt

Gui Minhai is convicted of providing foreign power with intelligence. But details about the type of information conveyed are unclear.

- It is a fairly classic phrase used often - a little vague wording. Most people agree that what he is really accused of is spreading books and using the free word in a way that the Chinese regime does not appreciate, says Swedish PEN chairman Jesper Bengtsson.

Minhai has been incarcerated for a long time and information on his location has been scarce. International PEN has therefore condemned the Chinese authorities' treatment of Minhai and demanded that he be released.

But the night before Tuesday came the verdict and in addition information that Minhai must have denied the right to appeal, which Jesper Bengtsson believes is highly unlikely that he has done on his own will.

- Take it with a big pinch of salt, says Bengtsson.

In addition, Minhai should have applied for Chinese citizenship two years ago, which Bengtsson also believes is unlikely.

- Many who have come from China, including one of his colleagues from the bookstore in Hong Kong, have testified that the Chinese regime uses this kind of enforced recognition that a script is in hand. Most of it indicates that it has been so in this case as well.

Swedish PEN works to defend freedom of expression and works actively to provide support to threatened and imprisoned writers.