Cruz and Cornyn renew calls for the release of Mark Svidan, a Texan detained in China for 10 years

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WASHINGTON. US Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn are calling on China to release Mark Swidan, a Houston resident who has been in the country’s custody for over 10 years on charges of drug possession.

Svidan was detained in China in 2012 while looking for materials for his home and business in Houston. Chinese authorities arrested him after drugs were found on his driver and interpreter. The driver accused Svidan, who is accused of dealing and manufacturing methamphetamine.

According to a 2019 review of the Svidan case by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Svidan had no drugs on him or in his hotel room, and records show he was not in China at the time of the alleged crime.

The two Texas Republicans who introduced the resolution calling for Svidan’s release are drawing attention to a decade-old case as Secretary of State Anthony Blinken plans to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang this week.

Blinken “will have the opportunity to finish the last chapter of this tragedy,” Cruz said Wednesday on the Senate floor. “I urge the Biden administration to use every tool at our disposal to secure Mark’s release.”

US Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Victoria, is carrying a similar resolution for Svidan in the House of Representatives.

“Bringing Mark Svidan home to his family should be a top priority for this administration,” Cloud said in a statement announcing the resolution. “Too many innocent Americans remain wrongfully imprisoned by authoritarian regimes that are happy to harvest human lives as capital for future political negotiations.”

Calls for his release came after two Texans were released from Russia last year – WNBA player Britney Greener and former Marine Trevor Reed. Griner was arrested last year in Russia for carrying vape cartridges and cannabis oil in her luggage. Reed was also released from Russia last year after being arrested in 2019 after being imprisoned for drunkenness in a public place. Both were released in exchange for Russian prisoners held in the US.

Svidan was arrested along with 11 others who Chinese authorities said were part of a drug-producing organization. But according to the UN report, 11 were unable to identify him.

Svidan’s conviction was based on evidence that he once visited a factory that police found was once used to produce drugs, according to the non-profit Dui Hua Foundation, which works to pardon and improve the treatment of prisoners.

A report from the Dui Hua Foundation says Svidan has lost over 100 pounds since his arrest.

The UN review also highlighted Svidan’s deteriorating health and grim conditions in which he was held, adding that he was subjected to “brutal psychological torture in order to extract a confession”.

Svidan was detained in 2012 for five years throughout the trial. He was eventually sentenced to death in 2019, a decision he appealed but is still awaiting a decision. His mother, Katherine Swydan, a resident of Luling, hasn’t seen a photo of him for nearly a decade and hasn’t been able to talk to him since 2018.

“This ordeal must end,” Cruz said. “This has to end for Mark. It must end for his mother. This must end for his family. We must and will do more so that Mark can return home.”

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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