Sweden – Göteborgs Posten, January 20, 2025
Today marks the seventh anniversary of the kidnapping of Gothenburg publisher Gui Minhai. After six years without a sign of life, it is time for the Swedish government to act. So writes Kurdo Baksi.
Which day in modern times is the most embarrassing day for Swedish diplomacy? I know the exact date: January 20, 2018. And today marks the seventh anniversary of the kidnapping of Swedish citizen, publisher and Gothenburg resident Gui Minhai by plainclothes Beijing agents on a train in the city of Jinan, China, while traveling with the then Swedish Consul General in Shanghai, Lisette Lindahl, and another diplomat.
The disappointment felt by Gui Minhai – with a Swedish passport and social security number – must be immense.
Gui Minhai’s path to a 24-hour cell somewhere in China began when he set up a publishing house and bookshop in Hong Kong with four colleagues. He managed the difficult feat of selling several titles critical of the regime in large numbers even in mainland China.
This success caused concern in the Communist Party of China (CCP), which does not tolerate independent advocacy and publishing. To silence Gui Minhai, agents of the Xi Jinping regime kidnapped him in the Swedish resort of Pattaya, Thailand for the first time in October 2015.
After two years, Gui Minhai was placed under some kind of house arrest, but just over three months later, on January 20, 2018, Gui Minhai was kidnapped again – presumably to prevent him from leaving China.
