Ahead of National Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Suffolk County) introduced a resolution demanding the Chinese Communist Party immediately release Kai Li of Huntington, NY.
“For almost eight years, Kai Li has been wrongfully detained by the Chinese Communist Party. Since then, his son Harrison has been a fierce advocate for his return, but has been stonewalled by multiple Administrations,” said LaLota. “In addition to my resolution, I am calling on President Biden to personally meet with Harrison and the families of other Americans wrongfully detained. We will not rest until Kai is reunited with his family.
To read a full text of the legislation, click HERE.
Background:
Earlier this week, LaLota brought Kai’s son Harrison Li as his guest to the State of the Union.
Since coming into office, LaLota has called on the Biden Administration to prioritize bringing Kai Li home from wrongful detainment in China. Last year, LaLota sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to meet with the Li family. Earlier this year, LaLota joined several other members in a letter to Secretary Blinken highlighting the human rights abuses committed by the Chinese government, including the treatment of Kai Li.
Since 2016, Kai Li of Huntington, New York, has been unjustly imprisoned by the Chinese Communist Party.
In 2016, Kai Li visited Shanghai to mark the first anniversary of his mother’s death. When he arrived at the airport in Shanghai, CCP authorities immediately arrested him on “state security charges.”
For months, Kai was held in secret detention without access to legal counsel. Then, almost two years later in July 2018, in a one-hour secret trial, Kai was convicted of espionage.