Mark Swidan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark Swidan is an American designer, artist, photographer and businessman[1] from Houston, Texas. He was detained in China from 2012 to 2024. In 2019, Swidan was charged with drug trafficking in China and sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve by a court in Guangdong.[2] on April 14, 2023, the Guangdong court upheld the sentence.[2] The U.S. government and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention considered Swidan wrongfully detained.[2] He was released on November 27, 2024, as part of a prisoner swap with China.[3]
Prison conditions
In 2012, Swidan traveled to China to buy supplies such as furniture, flooring, fixtures and helium for his home and business.[1][4] On November 14, he was arrested in a Dongguan, Guangzhou, hotel room while speaking with his family on the phone.[5] Eleven other people from Canada, China, Mexico, and the United States were arrested during the same operation.[6]
Swidan was accused of narcotics-related charges and trafficking drugs in China.[5][2] The authorities allegedly tried to make Swidan sign a confession of drug possession, but he refused.[6] A year later, he was tried in a Jiangmen intermediate people's court in Guangdong.[7][2][8]
The verdict in the case was delayed for years.[9] In accordance with Chinese laws, U.S. consulate personnel visited him every month in the presence of Chinese judicial officers, but were not allowed to discuss facts related to his case that could obstruct the trial.[6]
After five and a half years, Swidan was sentenced to death.[1][10] At the time of his sentencing, U.S. treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin was in China to discuss the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China.[10]
Swidan was held at Jiangmen Prison, which the Dui Hua Foundation has called a "black box".[5] During his time there, he was not allowed to call his family members or send them mail.[6] He reportedly went on multiple hunger strikes and attempted suicide multiple times.[11][7][12]
In a July 2022 interview, Swidan's mother, Katherine Swidan, said she had not spoken to him since a five-minute phone call in 2018.[1] In November 2022, Politico reported that Chinese officials, citing the country’s zero-Covid strategy, had denied Swidan in-person visits from U.S. consular officials for more than a year.[8]
Attorney Jason Poblete said of Swidan's detention: "This man has not slept in a dark room in almost 10 years. They have not turned the lights off. He has been kept in a very small cell. He has been forced and subjected to extreme psychological pressure and pains."[1]
Katherine Swidan reported that her son's health had been deteriorating.[13][11] She told CBS that guards broke her son's hand five to seven times, he had dislocated his knee, and he suffered from periodontal disease.[14] It was also reported that Swidan has lost 100 pounds while confined.[15] His mother reported that he was forced to beg for food and to produce silk flowers while exposed to toxic chemicals.[5] Katherine Swidan told The Guardian: "Mark is in a center that is caged with probably 25 other people. There's a hole in the ground for a toilet. They ration toilet paper. There's no hot water, even in the winter. He told me: 'Mama, I've never been so cold in my life'".[7] In the summer, temperatures at the prison can reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit with no air conditioning.[12]