releases: https://www.budd.senate.gov/2026/09/25/budd-markey-lead-bipartisan-resolution-condemning-chinas-wrongful-detention-of-american-academics/
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.budd.senate.gov/2026/09/25/budd-markey-lead-bipartisan-resolution-condemning-chinas-wrongful-detention-of-american-academics/ | Budd, Markey Lead Bipartisan Resolution Condemning China’s Wrongful Detention of American Academics | 2026-09-25 | 2026 | 2026-09 | Republican | Senate | NC | Ted Budd | B001305 | www.budd.senate.gov | budd | https://www.budd.senate.gov/category/news/press-releases/page/ | scraper | Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) were joined by Senators John Curtis (R-Utah) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in introducing a bipartisan resolution condemning the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) repeated pattern of arbitrary or wrongful detention of American academics. The resolution urges the United States government to prioritize the safe return of all American citizens wrongfully detained in China. U.S. Representatives Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.-08) and John Moolenaar (R-Mich.-02) led a companion resolution in the House of Representatives. “The Chinese Communist Party’s pattern of unjustly detaining innocent Americans on baseless allegations cannot carry on unchecked. It is long past time for the CCP to return American academics Dr. Youlin Chen and Mr. Min Zin home to their loved ones and end the targeting of American citizens. I am proud to stand with Senator Markey and my colleagues, as a bipartisan front, against these escalatory actions,” said Senator Budd. “The wrongful detainment of innocent civilians is never justifiable and should always be condemned in the strongest possible terms. We owe it to the American people to stand up and speak out when our citizens are wrongfully detained in foreign prisons. It is my hope that this bipartisan resolution from the United States Congress will bring increased attention to the unjust detention of Dr. Youlin Chen and Min Zin and force the Chinese government to do the right thing and release them immediately. I am praying for Dr. Chen, Mr. Zin, and their families today,” said Senator Markey. “China’s repeated and cruel pattern of wrongful detentions of American citizens, leaving some without access to legal counsel, is nothing short of an affront to the rule of law and infringes on their rights and freedoms. The U.S. government must redouble its efforts to ensure U.S. citizens unjustly detained abroad, like Min Zin and Dr. Chen, return safely back home to their loved ones,” said Senator Schiff. Read the full bill text HERE. BACKGROUND The resolution: • Condemns the PRC’s repeated pattern of arbitrary or wrongful detention of United States citizens. • Urges the Secretary of State to use all available tools to press for the release of all United States nationals being unlawfully or wrongfully detained in the PRC. • Urges the United States government to make the safe return of United States citizens detained in China a top priority, including the return of Dr. Chen and Min Zin: On November 5, 2024, PRC authorities arrested Dr. Chen, an American academic who has conducted transparent, open-source seismological research in cooperation with Chinese academics. Despite this high level of engagement, the PRC has held him in detention for more than 600 days without a trial or access to his family on baseless espionage charges. On June 3, 2026, PRC authorities detained Mr. Zin, the executive director of a Myanmar-focused policy think tank, at Kunming Changshui International Airport. His arrest occurred after he received an invitation to attend an academic event at a university in China’s Yunnan province. Mr. Zin remains in detention without access to legal counsel. ### | 1 | 2026-09-26T09:43:57Z | 2026-09-26T09:44:55Z |