Cloud meets Luling native Mark Swidan after release from China

Congressman Michael Cloud (TX-27) recently met with Mark Swidan, a Luling, Texas, native wrongfully detained in China for more than 11 years, to deliver the resolution passed by the House in 2023 advocating for Swidan's release and to check on his well-being personally.

On Nov. 13, 2012, Swidan was arrested by the People’s Republic of China and falsely accused of being a member of an international criminal drug organization. A year later, in November 2013, Swidan was tried, and despite no evidence of drugs ever being found, the PRC’s unjust legal system sentenced him to death in 2019.

After being wrongfully detained for 10 years, in April 2023, the PRC upheld its decision to uphold Swidan’s death penalty with a two-year suspended death sentence which drew widespread international condemnation.

Central to Mark’s release effort was the unyielding determination of his mother, Katherine, who worked tirelessly to ensure Mark’s story remained at the forefront of release efforts. Her advocacy led to the House of Representatives unanimously passing Cloud’s resolution, H.Res. 90, demanding Swidan’s immediate release in Spring 2023.

In April of 2023, Rep. Cloud co-led a bipartisan letter with Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (TX-10), urging Secretary Blinken to prioritize Swidan’s case in all dealings with China.

The letter highlighted the grave injustices of Swidan’s detainment and was co-signed by over 60 members of Congress from both parties, reflecting widespread support for his release.

Rep. Cloud and other lawmakers stated in the letter, “Mark Swidan’s situation is made even more dire given the physical and psychological torture he is enduring at the Jiangmen municipal detention center. Swidan is currently being held in a detention facility that is intended to hold individuals for up to 48 hours. His mother says he is going blind, has fractures in his leg, and has broken his hands five to seven times.”

Rep. Cloud released the following statement following the news that China will be releasing Swidan:

“This is a day of immense relief and celebration for Mark Swidan, his family, and all Americans who have prayed and fought for his release. For over a decade, Mark endured inhumane conditions and an unjust legal system that denied him his most basic rights. Today, we celebrate his freedom and the collective efforts of so many who refused to let his case be forgotten. I am grateful to those in Congress, the State Department, and all who worked tirelessly to secure this outcome.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also expressed his thankfulness that Swidan and two other individuals, Kai Li and John Leung, were released by China.

“I am overjoyed that Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung have been released and are returning to their families. I could not be happier for Mark’s mother Katherine Swidan, who from her home in Luling, Texas, has spent 12 years waging an unremitting battle to ensure Mark’s release and make today a reality,” Cruz said. 

“President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Carstens, Ambassador Burns, and their teams have for years worked tirelessly to secure this achievement, and I am deeply grateful for all their efforts. Negotiations aimed at securing the release of unjustly held Americans are among the most difficult and wrenching tasks that our diplomats face, and they have shown unceasing dedication culminating in today’s release. This joyous news would not have occurred, and these families would not have been reunited, without their work and commitment.”