Detained book publisher Gui Minhai has surfaced nearly three weeks after disappearing into police custody in China, confessing wrongdoing and accusing his adopted country Sweden of manipulating him like a “chess piece”. Sweden, the European Union and the United States have called for Gui’s release, with Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom on Monday calling his seizure “brutal”. “I have stated that I do not want Sweden to continue to sensationalise what has happened to me. Gui said Friday that Swedish officials had pressured him to leave China despite being barred from doing so due to pending legal cases. China has given scant details on his arrest but acknowledged on Tuesday that Gui was in custody under criminal law, without offering further specifics.

Source: Egypt Independent February 10, 2018 06:45 UTC