SAN FRANCISCO (March 26, 2019) — The Dui Hua Foundation welcomes the release from Meizhou Prison of American citizen Wang Jianmin, aka James Wong, on February 20 2019. Mr. Wang and his family arrived in the United States on March 24, 2019. They have been reunited with their two children who have been living with a relative in New Jersey.
Mr. Wang, now 65 years old, was a magazine publisher in Hong Kong who specialized in magazines on sensitive political topics related to China’s leadership. Most of the magazines, including Multiple Face and New Way Monthly, were sold in Hong Kong but a small number were sent into the Mainland.
Although Mr. Wang is an American citizen, he entered China on his Hong Kong documents. Because his American citizenship was not recognized by China, he did not benefit from American consular protections. No American officials were allowed to attend his trial, and none were allowed to visit him in prison.
He was detained in Shenzhen on May 30, 2014 and subsequently sentenced by the Nanshan District People’s Court on July 26, 2016 for the crimes of illegal business activity, bribery, and bid-rigging. He was given a prison sentence of five years and three months. After spending many months in a Shenzhen detention center, Mr. Wang was transferred to Meizhou Prison in northeastern Guangdong Province.
Mr. Wang was due for release on August 29, 2019. He was granted a six-month eleven-day sentence reduction on January 29, 2019, by the Meizhou Intermediate People’s Court, and was released from prison twenty-two days later.
Dui Hua intervened with the Chinese authorities on Mr. Wang’s behalf on twenty occasions over the last three years.
John Kamm, Dui Hua’s Executive Director, stated that “Wang Jianmin’s release is a rare piece of good news in US-China relations, which are beset with troubles in many areas. The foundation wishes Mr. Wang and his family much happiness as they adjust to their new lives in the United States.”
Information about Mr. Wang’s sentence reduction, release and date of return to the U.S. was updated on April 4, 2019.
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