Poland's Supreme Court was to rule Friday on an extradition request by Beijing for a Chinese-born Swedish citizen who has denied fraud charges, insisting instead that he is being targeted for supporting the Falun Gong.
Polish authorities took Zhihui Li, now 53, into custody in 2019 on an international warrant issued by China for alleged non-payment in a minor business deal, Krzysztof Kitajgrodzki, his Polish lawyer, told AFP.
Kitajgrodzki argues that the real reasons behind China's legal action against his client have to do with his quitting the communist party and subsequent open support for Falung Gong, a religious group that has been banned by mainland authorities.
The charges levelled by China stem back to non-payment in a relatively small 2011-12 business deal, according to the lawyer.
He also said that it was also around this time that Zhihui Li, whose family made bed linens, moved to Sweden and subsequently gained citizenship there.
"Chinese authorities began pursuing my client for a relatively minor offence only after he quit the communist party and began financially supporting Falun Gong," Kitajgrodzki told AFP.
He warned that Zhihui Li was unlikely to get a fair trial in China and he could be sentenced to death.
Sweden's foreign ministry said in a Wedesday statement to parliament that it had been "actively working" on the case and voiced concerns, saying that "human rights violations in China are extensive and appear to be on the rise."
"Polish authorities are well aware of Sweden's concerns about the human rights situation in China," it added.
Poland's Supreme Court is expected to rule on the matter later Friday after the EU country's rights ombudsman appealed a lower court ruling that greenlighted the extradition.
Regardless of today's Supreme Court verdict, under Polish law the justice minister has the final say on extradition requests.
Kitajgrodzki told AFP that his client has already filed a complaint against the Chinese legal move with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
