Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution before us today. It is not just timely; it is urgently important. Earlier this month, a court in the People's Republic of China denied an appeal by U.S. national Mark Swidan, who has been wrongly detained in China, and upheld his death penalty with a 2-year suspended death sentence. The PRC has detained Mark since his arrest for drug-related crimes in 2012, even though he was not convicted until 2019. He has been arbitrarily detained for more than 10 years and has been denied regular communication with his family, regular access to United States' consular officials, and has not had access to competent medical care and treatment. Swidan's detention conditions have included exposure to extreme weather conditions, sleep deprivation, and physical and psychological abuse, leading tragically to Mark's attempting to take his own life. This is, simply put, a travesty of justice. Mr. Speaker, no concrete evidence has been provided to justify the charges against Mr. Swidan. In 2020, a United Nations body confirmed what we already knew, that Mr. Swidan has been arbitrarily detained in violation of international law, and we call for his swift release. Mr. Speaker, this body needs to come together today to stand up for Mr. Swidan and make clear to Beijing that his inhumane treatment is unacceptable. H. Res.…”