Gui held on suspicion of endangering national security in unreported trip

Gui Minhai, a Swedish national and Hong Kong bookseller, was detained again recently over suspected violations of Chinese law, about three months after his release from a Chinese prison. Gui was freed on Oct 17 after completing a two-year sentence for a drunken driving incident in which a person was killed more than a decade ago. He turned himself in to police on the mainland in 2015.

While Chinese authorities continued an investigation of Gui's suspected illegal business operation, by law he was not allowed to leave the country.

"When I was released, my illegal business operation case had not been concluded. I resumed an inmate's life, for which to a large extent I have the Swedish government and you to thank," said Gui in a letter to the Swedish ambassador in Beijing on Jan 27.