Swidan was arrested and imprisoned in 2012 in China on allegations of drug trafficking and sentenced to death. Texans in Congress have advocated for Swidan’s release for years. Members of both parties have denounced the imprisonment as politically motivated.

A Houston man will return home this week after being detained in China for over a decade. Mark Swidan from Houston was involved in a prisoner swap between the United States and China that also led to the release of Kai Li and John Leungas,

Texas lawmakers welcomed news that China is releasing Houston businessman Mark Swidan, who had been imprisoned since 2012, as part of a prisoner exchange.

Three Americans, including Mark Swidan of Houston, were released from Chinese detention after U.S. negotiations.

Mark Swidan had been wrongfully detained in China since 2012, and his family fought to one day bring him home. Now, the State Department said he would return as part of a prisoner swap agreement.

The Biden administration has brokered the release of three Americans by trading them for unidentified Chinese citizens in U.S. custody, according to a senior administration official familiar with the deal.

Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung have been released from detention, a spokesperson for the National Security Council said.

A Houston man sentenced to death in a Chinese prison is set to be released after 12 years, the White House said Wednesday.

WASHINGTON: China has released United States citizens Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung, the White House said on Wednesday (Nov 27), concluding years of diplomacy over Americans that Washington says were wrongfully detained in China.