TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — All candidates for the 2024 Taiwan presidential election were asked to give their stances on the case of Taiwan-based Chinese publisher Li Yenhe (李延賀), who was arbitrarily detained by Chinese authorities earlier this year.
A group seeking his release on Saturday (July 22) said in a statement that the president of Taiwan has an obligation to safeguard the safety and freedom of its people. It called upon the hopefuls to press Beijing on the issue, granting Li the right to meet his family and attorney as the investigation proceeds.
Better known as Fu Cha (富察), Li reportedly went to Shanghai in March to relinquish his citizenship so that he could be naturalized in Taiwan. He has gone missing since and was confirmed to have been arrested over what the Chinese authorities claimed were “activities endangering national security” in April.
The group, comprising friends and supporters of the publisher, said Fu Cha had obtained an ID card in Taiwan and that his arbitrary detention constitutes an infringement on the rights of Taiwanese and press freedom. “How could one in Taiwan commit the crimes of subversion and succession simply because they had published comments that irritated the Beijing government?”
Under the leadership of Fu Cha, Gusa Press has published books that would unnerve Beijing, including those dealing with subjects of Xinjiang and corruption in Chinese political circles.