Lee Ching-yu (李凈瑜), the wife of Taiwanese democracy advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲), yesterday urged Chinese authorities to allow her jailed husband to attend a family funeral in Taiwan, adding that she would be willing to stay in prison until his return.
In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, Lee Ching-yu said she would depart for China later in the day to inform Lee Ming-che of the death of his father, adding that she felt “incredibly heavy-hearted.”
She had already asked the prison in Hunan Province where her husband is being kept to allow him funeral leave according to the laws and traditions of the People’s Republic of China, she said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
As a guarantee that Lee Ming-che would return to complete his sentence, she would be willing to stay in prison until his return, she said.
The request is in line with international practices, she said, adding that she hopes China will prove that it is highly civilized, as it claims to be.
Lee Ming-che went missing in March 2017 after entering China from Macau and was later confirmed to have been detained by Chinese authorities.
In September, Chinese authorities found him guilty of subversion of state power and sentenced him to five years in prison.
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