Taiwan subversive set to be released

Lee Ming-che and Peng Yuhua at the court. [Photo from Weibo account of Yueyang Intermediate People's Court]

Chinese mainland will arrange the return of Lee Ming-che to Taiwan as the Taiwan resident, who is currently serving a sentence on subversion charges, is set to be released soon, an official said Wednesday.

When asked about Lee's release at a news conference in Beijing, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that Lee will be released after he finishes his five-year prison term and authorities will arrange for his return to Taiwan in the near future. A date was not specified.

In November, 2017, a court in Hunan province sentenced Lee to five years in prison for inciting subversion of State power, together with mainland resident Peng Yuhua, who received a sentence of seven years for the same offense.

The pair had formed an illegal organization with the goal of overthrowing the Chinese government and its political system, seriously threatening national security and social stability, the Yueyang Intermediate People's Court said.

The pair did not appeal the verdict.

During incarceration, the prison guaranteed Lee's health, access to communication and other rights in accordance with the law, Ma said, adding that Lee's physical condition has remained stable.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, on-site meetings with relatives have been suspended at prisons due to epidemic prevention and control, he said.