After 5 long years in Chinese prison for “subversion of state power,” it appears that democracy advocate Lee Ming-che is finally coming home to Taiwan.
Today (April 13th), Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council announced that their counterpart in China, the Taiwan Affairs Council, notified them that Lee will be released in the coming days and that they will arrange for his return to Taiwan soon.
The Mainland Affairs Council stated that they have notified Lee’s family and are taking all steps to ensure he has a smooth and safe return to Taiwan. The Council also thanked all those involved in the 5 year process of getting Lee back home.
Lee was the first foreigner to ever be charged with “subversion of state power” in China. This charge seems to have been simply because Lee was advocating for democracy, however we likely won’t know the full story until he is back on Taiwanese soil.
Lee Ching-yu, Lee’s wife, is almost certainly the happiest person to hear of this news as she has worked tirelessly to advocate for her husband’s release and has not been permitted to see him since the COVID pandemic began.
While the ordeal won’t truly be over until Lee is safely back on Taiwanese shores, this announcement is certainly a relief. Recently, human rights organizations had been calling for his release being the 5 year mark was approaching.
Hopefully Lee will be back very soon! We will keep y’all up to date with the latest details.