A US geologist convicted on Chinese state secrets charges and imprisoned in Beijing has been released and returned to the US, a human rights group said.
Xue Feng (薛峰), who was serving an eight-year sentence in Beijing No. 2 Prison, was immediately deported upon his release, the US-based Dui Hua Foundation said in a release dated Friday.
The rights group, which advocates clemency and better treatment for prisoners in China and had repeatedly raised Xue’s case with Chinese officials, said that he arrived in Houston, Texas, on Friday evening.
“Dui Hua is delighted that Dr Xue has finally been reunited with his family in America after a terrible ordeal,” the San Francisco-based group’s executive director John Kamm said in the release.
The US embassy in Beijing said in an e-mail that it was “aware of reports” that Xue had been released, but could add no more due to privacy considerations, directing reporters instead to Chinese authorities.
China’s Xinhua news agency did not immediately carry any articles on the release. A telephone number for the Beijing No. 2 Prison could not be found and the institution’s Web site had no information on Xue’s release.
Xue, a Chinese-born US citizen, was first detained in November 2007 over the purchase of a database on China’s oil industry while working for US energy and engineering consulting firm IHS.
Media contacts at IHS did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment.
Xue and IHS have said that they believed that the database was a commercially available product. It was classified as a state secret only after Xue had bought it, Dui Hua said.
In February 2011, a Beijing court upheld his 2010 conviction and eight-year sentence.
In November 2012, Xue received a 10-month reduction in his sentence for good behavior, Dui Hua said.
His release means that there are now no US citizens serving sentences in China on convictions of endangering state security, Dui Hua said.
The US repeatedly raised concerns over whether Xue’s rights were being protected and whether he had access to a fair trial.
Rights activists say China routinely abuses its state secrets laws, often as a means of silencing government critics.
Xue’s arrest and other cases have cast a spotlight on potential dangers of doing business in China.
Australian national Stern Hu (胡士泰), an executive with the mining giant Rio Tinto, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2010 on bribery and trade secrets charges, in a case severely criticized by Canberra.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
A Soviet-era spacecraft plunged to Earth on Saturday, more than a half-century after its failed launch to Venus. Its uncontrolled entry was confirmed by both the Russian Space Agency and EU Space Surveillance and Tracking. The Russians indicated it came down over the Indian Ocean, but some experts were not so sure of the precise location. The European Space Agency’s space debris office also tracked the spacecraft’s doom after it failed to appear over a German radar station. It was not immediately known how much, if any, of the half-tonne spacecraft survived the fiery descent from orbit. Experts said ahead of time
RSS