China releases Swedish human rights activist

State broadcaster CCTV last week aired footage of a dazed and harried looking Dahlin apologising to China for his alleged actions.

Since July 9, 248 lawyers and rights activists have been targeted in China, with 23 still missing or in custody, and 12 formally arrested, according to Amnesty International.

Having accomplished their goal of spreading fear in civil society circles, Chinese authorities were now trying to soften worldwide and domestic criticism by releasing the accused “after what appears to be a reasonable, if secret, bargain”, said Jerome Cohen, a China law expert at New York University.

A Swedish human rights activist has been released and deported from China after he was detained for supporting local Chinese rights lawyers with his organization.

The Swedish Foreign Ministry has declined to comment on Mr Dahlin’s release from detention.

Sweden is still concerned about a China-born Swedish citizen Gui Minhai who disappeared from Thailand in October and was shown on state television on January 17 confessing to a 2004 fatal drunk-driving incident and asking Swedish authorities to respect his decision to turn himself in.

Mr Gui’s company Mighty Current specialises in books critical of Beijing’s leaders.

The Swedish embassy issued a statement Friday in which it said it was seeking clarification of the charges against Dahlin and another detained Swedish national, Gui Minhai.

Televised “confessions” involving opponents of Beijing have become common in China, and have previously involved foreign nationals.

Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom welcomed his release, but expressed concern about another Swede in Chinese detention.

“Our efforts to bring clarity to his situation and be granted the opportunity to visit him continue with unabated intensity”.

Paris based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders last wek urged the European Union to impose sanctions on Chinese state media over the “forced confessions”.