STOCKHOLM (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th November, 2019) Chinese Ambassador to Sweden Gui Congyou warned that Beijing might ban Swedish Culture Minister Amanda Lind from entering China if the Svenska PEN's Tucholsky prize would be awarded to China-born Swedish national Gui Minhai, currently detained in China, media reported on Friday.
"If Amanda Lind, despite our advice, participates in the award ceremony, then no representative of the Swedish government in charge of cultural issues will be welcome in China," the ambassador told Sweden's TT news agency.
Gui Minhai, a naturalized Swedish citizen of Chinese origin, co-owns a bookstore in Hong Kong. He went missing from his home in Thailand in 2015, and it was soon revealed that he was held in custody in China on charges of divulging state secrets. His daughter, Angela Gui, a Swedish citizen, is actively campaigning to free her father.
The ambassador previously called on representatives of the Swedish government to refuse to participate in the award ceremony, saying that friendly relations between Sweden and China could be seriously undermined. However, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven and Culture Minister Amanda Lind stated that they intend to fight for freedom of speech and will not refuse to present the prize to Gui Minhai.
Svenska PEN has been presenting the Kurt Tucholsky Prize since 1985. The prize is given to writers and journalists who are forced to live in exile or are persecuted in their own countries. This year, the prize will be awarded to the absent winner, who is currently in prison. As a reminder of this, the organizers will place an empty chair on the stage.
