Illustration by Ellen Ekman.

The Campaign

The campaign to #FreeGuiMinhai is run by his daughter Angela Gui and a network of volunteers. It has worked with international organisations like Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Human Rights Watch, PEN International, and Amnesty International, as well as organisations focusing on freedom and democracy in Hong Kong, such as The Campaign for Hong Kong, and Hong Kong Democracy Council.

Campaign milestones

  • Review Committee publishes report on Swedish government's work to free Gui Minhai

    28 OCTOBER 2022

    The Swedish government made a decision on the 21st of June 2021 to appoint a Review Committee to investigate Sweden's efforts to secure the release Gui Minhai and Dawit Isaak, a Swedish journalist imprisoned in Eritrea.

    The report (SOU 2022:55) found several shortcomings in the Swedish handling of both cases. For its future work on cases of political prisoners, the Swedish government was urged to take action earlier, improve its documentation practices, and implement routine legal analysis of human rights violations in such cases. Read the Swedish government's statement here, and find the report here.

    Read analysis of the report by Magnus Fiskesjö and Susanne Berger on Safeguard Defenders' blog here.

    Visit the website for the campaign to free Dawit Isaak here.

  • EU calls for release of Gui Minhai at the UNHRC

    26 SEPTEMBER 2022

    The EU delegation to the UN in Geneva calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Gui Minhai, and demanded that his consular rights be respected. Read EEAS press statement here.

  • CGTN sanctioned in the UK over forced confessions

    21 AUGUST 2021

    In June 2020, UK regulator Ofcom found Chinese TV channel CGTN to have seriously breached British broadcasting rules for airing a forced confession by Peter Humphrey. On the 21st of August 2021, Ofcom rules that CGTN committed further breaches in broadcasting the forced confessions of Gui Minhai and Simon Cheng. CGTN is fined £200,000. Read coverage in the Independent here.

  • MEPs call on Xi Jinping to release Gui Minhai

    22 FEBRUARY 2018

    36 Members of European Parliament sign a joint letter to Chinese leader Xi Jinping calling for Gui Minhai's release. Read coverage in The Guardian here.

  • EU Parliament passes resolution on detention of Gui Minhai

    24 NOVEMBER 2016

    The European Parliament passes a resolution condemning the detention of Gui Minhai and expresses grave concern over the lack of knowledge of his whereabouts. Read statement here.