Brother of American Detained in China Tells US: ‘Don't Just Talk About It'
National Brother of American Detained in China Tells US: 'Don't Just Talk About It'
The brother of an American woman said to be wrongfully held in a Chinese prison for over a decade has a message for the federal government: "Don't just talk about it, be about it." Dawn Michelle Hunt has been in Guangdong Women's Prison since her 2014 arrest for drug smuggling-a charge that she, her brother and father have consistently denied. In a similar case, Nelson Wells Jr. has spent over a decade in a Chinese cell for drug charges that he and his representatives say are dubious.
"The time for politicking about this stuff, it's over," Dawn Hunt's brother, Tim Hunt, formerly a 28-year Chicago Police veteran, told Newsweek. "Everybody talks about reaching across the aisle; everybody talks about what's best for America because everybody wants to talk about making America strong. That's cool. But...other countries that ain't as strong are jealous. If they keep taking your people and you don't have a playbook to get your people back, you aren't as strong as you think you are. All these people...talking about doing stuff: please, please, please do it. Don't just talk about it, be about it."
Dawn Hunt and Wells Jr. are just two of an estimated 200-plus U.S. citizens said to be wrongfully detained by China. Americans John Leung, Kai Li and Mark Swidan came home the day before Thanksgiving last year as part of a prisoner swap, spurred by a congressional committee. It mirrored the return in September of U.S. citizen David Lin after nearly 20 years.
Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for China's embassy in the U.S., told Newsweek he was unaware of the detainment of Dawn Hunt and Wells Jr. "I would like to share China's principled position on this matter: China is a country governed by the rule of law and consistently safeguards the safety and lawful rights and interests of foreigners in China in accordance with the law," he said, adding: "At the same time, all foreign nationals in or entering China must abide by Chinese laws, and those who violate the law will be held accountable."
Recent Foley Foundation findings show that while some Americans were freed from jails overseas in 2024, progress was minimal. Statistics suggest that more Americans were wrongfully detained between 2015 and 2024 than between 2005 and 2014. "The Foley Foundation is encouraged by the energy the new administration has brought to the issue of hostage recovery, and views the fast start as a hopeful sign that progress can be made on several longstanding cases, in addition to others where American captives are facing acute physical and mental health issues," Elizabeth Richards, Foley Foundation's director of hostage advocacy and research, told Newsweek.
US Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler speaks during a US hostage and wrongful detainee flag raising ceremony at the State Department in Washington, DC, on March 6, 2025. JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty
John Kamm, chair of San Francisco-based nonprofit Dui Hua Foundation, told Newsweek in March that he filed a new appeal to press China for clemency for Dawn Hunt and Wells Jr. "Years ago, a senior Chinese official told me, 'When U.S.-China relations are bad, your work suffers. When U.S.-China relations are good, you benefit,'" he said. "My work is now in the suffer stage."
The U.S. Department of State told Newsweek it takes claims of mistreatment of U.S. citizens "seriously" and raises concerns with host governments over credible reports. "The Chinese government arbitrarily enforces local laws without fair and transparent process under the law.... The Department of State continuously monitors the circumstances surrounding the detentions of U.S. citizens overseas, including those in China, for indicators that the detentions may be wrongful," it said.
Dawn Hunt, 53, arrived in China after winning a contest, spending about two weeks there. She was then offered a trip to Australia. Contest organizers purportedly gave her a designer bag that, unbeknown to her, was lined with drugs and flagged by airport security, according to Tim Hunt. She was detained, arrested, later found guilty via trial and sentenced to death. She has since developed uterine fibroids and potentially ovarian cancer. Tim Hunt said she had blood transfusions due to heavy bleeding but refused a hysterectomy out of distrust for her caretakers and a medical exam due to fears about China's government collecting her DNA for nefarious reasons, he said.
After failed efforts by the Obama, first Trump and Biden administrations, Tim Hunt has cautious optimism that the current one will make detained Americans a priority, citing the releases of Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich and Marc Fogel from Russian detention. "I don't care who's in office, OK?" he said. "This isn't political for me; it's not political for the Wells family. This should not happen. We're American."
He said he's been in contact with the offices of his Illinois state Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth-who Newsweek contacted for comment-in the hope they will put forward a resolution in Congress urging the release of Americans from their adversary. Dawn Hunt told him on March 28, the last time they spoke, that she is thankful for all domestic efforts toward her release.
Moped Accident to Wrongful Detainment
Dad-of-three Wells Jr. was arrested in China in May 2014. According to family and representatives, the New Orleans native, 51, had a moped accident in Japan that resulted in a head injury. He traveled to China for medical aid and nearly exhausted his finances. Wells Jr. was arrested by Chinese authorities for drug charges that both he and his family vehemently deny. His term was reduced from life to 22 years in 2019.
Wells Jr.'s health has deteriorated since he was jailed. His father, Nelson Wells Sr., told Newsweek that hopes for his son's release fluctuate alongside presidential administrations.
Political posturing in the past year has amplified due to U.S. prisoner releases from Russia and China, combined with efforts from the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China, or CECC. Yet aside from officials in Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy's office, the Wells say they have had silence from Senator John Kennedy and House Speaker Mike Johnson. A spokesperson for the speaker told Newsweek that Johnson hasn't spoken to the family since Trump took office "but the Speaker's staff has spoken with the Wells family multiple times this year."
Former prisoners released by Russia, US journalist Evan Gershkovich (10thL), former US marine Paul Whelan (9thL), and US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva (8thL) pose behind a banner reading "Hostages and Wrongful Detainees, Bring Them Home" after landing at Joint Base San Antonio-Kelly Field, Texas, on August 2, 2024. Journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow prisoners released by Russia landed in the United States late August 1, as part of an extraordinary swap deal struck between Washington and Moscow. A plane carrying Gershkovich, former US marine Paul Whelan, and journalist Alsu Kurmasheva landed at around 11:40 pm (0340 GMT) at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, where President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were waiting to greet them. SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP/Getty
In 2023, around the time Johnson became speaker, Wells Sr. told CBS affiliate KSLA: "Mike Johnson was the only one that called and explained everything, what he can and cannot do."
"Mike Johnson took concern and he said, 'I will do this, look into it and see any loopholes,'" Wells Sr. said.
The Wells family shared with Newsweek a letter that Nicholas Burns, then U.S. ambassador to China, sent them on January 13, before the Biden administration concluded. It says that he wrote to Chongqing Prison Administration Bureau's director general about reports of mistreatment and discrimination against Wells Jr.-who is Black and said to be the only minority in his all-Chinese jail-plus his living conditions.
Burns said he raised the Wells' request for a video call with their son, adding: "We will continue to closely monitor Nelson's medical situation and are actively working with prison authorities to ensure that he receives necessary medical care."
Visits to Wells Jr. by embassy and consular officials every other month were promised by U.S. officials. Burns vowed "continued commitment to support Nelson's welfare and well-being" and to iterate the same to his successor, recently confirmed to be David Perdue. Wells Jr. was in higher spirits during his last conversation with his parents, on February 28. He said he required a colonoscopy, dental work and treatment for an abscess and had another visit with his psychiatrist. "[Meeting with consular officials] lifted his spirits, and I believe that's the reason why he was so cheerful.... he feels as though it is giving him hope. The bad side about that is if nothing materializes. That's what I'm afraid of," Wells Sr. said.
What's Next?
CECC Chair Christopher Smith said President Donald Trump made imprisoned Americans a priority in his first term and is continuing efforts. "I sent a letter to the president [in February] asking him to prioritize their release and am working to introduce legislation...to hopefully raise the diplomatic stakes for China and ultimately bring home Americans unjustly detained there," he told Newsweek.
Joi Chaney, founder of consulting firm J.O.I. Strategies and adviser to the Wells family, said special hostage envoy Adam Boehler wants to raise more public awareness about Americans held overseas. Peter Humphrey, an ex-prisoner of China who advises imprisoned Americans' families, told Newsweek "now is the time" to contact everyone who can facilitate releases. "We need to get Cassidy and Johnson to reach out now to the hostage envoy's office, and we should be doing so ourselves," he said. "That's on our action list."
Richards said a "more adversarial" tone toward China, including tariffs, could hurt efforts, but said: "We admire the passion Boehler has brought to the position. We also have hope that under [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio's leadership, the State Department will be more forward leaning in the support provided to families, especially for families that do not have a wrongful detention designation yet."
Related Articles
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chicago crime: Thief broke into several cars in South Loop parking garages, CPD says
The Brief Several cars in South Loop parking garages were broken into between Friday night and early Saturday morning. Police provided a rough description of the suspected thief. CHICAGO - Several cars parked in South Loop parking garages were broken into between late Friday night and early Saturday morning. The break-ins took place in parking structures along the 600 block of South La Salle Street, the 800 block of South Wells Street, and the 100 block of West 9th Street, according to the Chicago Police Department. What we know In each incident, the offender broke the passenger or driver side windows and, in several cases, took personal property from inside the cars. The offender was also reported to have been seen fleeing in a gray Lexus sedan with an Ontario, Canada, license plate, police said. The offender was described by police as an African American male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants, and a black/gray Nike Jordan gym shoes. Police listed each incident's date and approximate location: 600 block of S. La Salle St on June 6 at 11:19 p.m. 600 block of S. La Salle St on June 6 at 11:19 p.m. 600 block of S. La Salle St on June 6 at 11:19 p.m. 600 block of S. La Salle St on June 6 at 11:19 p.m. 600 block of S. La Salle St on June 6 at 11:19 p.m. 600 block of S. La Salle St on June 6 at 11:19 p.m. 600 block of S. La Salle St on June 6 at 11:19 p.m. 800 block of S. Wells St on June 7 at 2:20 a.m. 800 block of S. Wells St on June 7 at 2:20 a.m. 800 block of S. Wells St on June 7 at 2:20 a.m. 100 block of W. 9th St on June 7 at 2:20 a.m. 800 block of S. Wells St on June 7 at 2:20 a.m. 800 block of S. Wells St on June 7 at 2:20 a.m. What you can do Anyone with information on the break-ins is asked to contact Area Three Detectives at 312-744-8263 or submit an anonymous tip at
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Fellow officer ‘unintentionally' shot slain officer while confronting suspect, say Chicago police
CHICAGO — Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera was mistakenly shot and killed by a fellow officer during a confrontation with an armed suspect, according to police, who continued to hold at least two people in custody as of late Friday. The department announced Rivera had been struck by friendly fire about a day after she died. She and her Gresham District tactical team were trying to conduct an investigatory stop in the Chatham neighborhood, police have said, and encountered an armed suspect after chasing a person into an apartment building on the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue. An autopsy conducted Friday found that Rivera had died of a gunshot wound to the back. 'As released in yesterday's preliminary statement, an officer discharged his weapon during the encounter with an armed offender,' the statement read. 'Further investigation revealed the only weapon discharged during this incident was the weapon of the officer, whose gunfire unintentionally struck Officer Rivera.' Rivera, 36, a four-year veteran of the police force, leaves behind a young daughter. She lived in the Irving Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side. Police said they were continuing to investigate the suspect the tactical team encountered in the apartment, who allegedly pointed a rifle at the officers. 'This offender remains in custody,' the police department said in a statement. 'Detectives also continue to investigate the circumstances that led to the investigative stop preceding the encounter.' At least two people remained in custody as of late Friday night, though Superintendent Larry Snelling said 'several' people were initially arrested following the shooting. Just after the time of the shooting Thursday, officers found and detained a 25-year-old man and 26-year-old woman in a gated yard near an apartment building on the 8200 block of South Maryland Avenue, according to police sources. The man was described in arrest paperwork as being armed with a rifle. According to police sources, authorities had issued several warrants for the man out of Cook, Stephenson and Winnebago counties. The woman had one active warrant out of Stephenson County, according to police sources, and both are listed in arrest records as residents of Freeport in northwestern Illinois. Rivera was the first city police officer to be killed in the line of duty this year. The last officer to suffer fatal injuries on the job was Enrique Martínez, 26. Martínez, who was also assigned to the same 6th District as Rivera, was fatally shot in November in the 8200 block of South Ingleside Avenue — just one street east of where Rivera was killed Thursday. She was widely mourned by city officials and her fellow officers, who praised her work ethic and asked Chicagoans to keep her family in their prayers. Investigators recovered three weapons at the scene and were still reviewing body-worn camera footage, Snelling said after the shooting. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability was investigating. After the shooting, police officers took their wounded colleague to the hospital in a squad car, which crashed and caught fire on the way there because of what Snelling described as a malfunction with the vehicle. Another squad car finished the trip, Snelling said, and the officers in the first car were 'doing fine.' 'The way that she worked, it was evident that she did love her job,' Snelling said. 'She wanted to make Chicago a better place.' Rivera's mother, reached by phone, declined to comment. In a statement posted to social media, Mayor Brandon Johnson asked Chicagoans to keep Rivera's family in their prayers, especially her young daughter 'who will miss her mom for the rest of her life.' Rivera had an 'unmatched work ethic,' Johnson said. 'Officer Rivera was a hero who served on the force for four years. She had a long career in front of her. A bright future was stolen from her family and from her loved ones,' he said in the statement. Family friend Alicia Headrick described Rivera as someone who was 'unapologetically herself and wanted everyone else to be able to tap into that as well.' Headrick, 28, a Grundy County sheriff's deputy, said she mostly stayed in touch with Rivera via social media. While they occasionally talked about working for two very different law enforcement agencies, Headrick mainly remembered Rivera cheering her on and likened her to an older sister. Rivera had been a single mother for some time and was ferociously independent, she said. '(Rivera) just always wanted to make a life and career for herself and for her daughter,' Headrick said. 'She had a very pure heart that just wanted to serve other people.'
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Pride and community at Sox Mexican Heritage Night game amid immigration crackdowns
There are few things more American than baseball. But on a recent Mexican Heritage Night at Rate Field, it was something more layered, more defiant and deeply moving. Amid the crack of bats and the roar of the crowd, this sliver of the South Side of Chicago felt like it belonged — completely — to its people. To the vendors shouting in Spanish, the kids in their Sox jerseys, the swaying to mariachi in the stands. The smell of and the sound of Banda music coming from the parking lot. They were all there to watch baseball and to celebrate their culture despite the newfound fear sparked by immigration crackdowns in the city of Chicago and its surroundings. In that space, at a Sox game against the Kansas City Royals, for a few sacred hours, joy roared louder than fear. To be sure, few places feel completely safe for Mexicans nowadays. Many now have strong roots in Chicago, their families are a mix of U.S. citizens and loved ones who are lacking permanent legal status. That means that most times, everyone is on high alert. For many Chicagoans, deportations are starting to hit home. Just last Wednesday, an estimated 20 people were rounded up during surprise check-ins at the federal agency's Intensive Supervision Appearance Program offices in Chicago. Similar arrests were reported that day in New York, San Jose and Birmingham. More reports of raids at suburban factories spread through the end of the week. So for many, it is a strange, almost surreal thing to celebrate their roots in a public arena these days. In a country where anti-immigrant rhetoric has again tightened its grip, where deportation raids are haunting families like shadows on back porches, where policies continue to dehumanize under the guise of 'law and order,' showing pride can feel like an act of rebellion. While the White Sox as an organization steers clear of making overt political statements, its commitment is to create an inclusive, welcoming environment, said Sheena Quinn, vice president of public relations for the White Sox. Quinn said that nights like these are not about politics, but about community — about making sure every fan feels seen, valued and celebrated. ,' as my Mexican grandfather said. The team of the people. There's a reason these nights matter. They aren't just cultural marketing or feel-good footnotes. They are necessary sanctuaries — moments of unapologetic presence. In a time when neighbors who lack permanent legal status are being disappeared from their jobs or at immigration hearings, when headlines reduce human beings to statistics or threats, to be seen and celebrated in the open air of a stadium is no small thing. And the beauty of baseball is that it offers something like solidarity, even if unspoken. You can sit next to someone you might never talk to on the street — an old-school South Sider, a first-gen college kid, a Polish grandma, a Mexican father with his daughters — and for nine innings, you're all just fans. The field becomes neutral ground. The flags waving — U.S. and Mexican — remind us that identity isn't binary. It's layered, sometimes conflicted, always rich. There's healing in that. And hope. Because joy, in the face of trauma, is a kind of resistance. Celebrating your culture in the open, without apology or permission, is its own form of protest. And when a community gathers — not in mourning or defense, but in celebration — it says something powerful: We're still here. We belong. So yes, the night ended like any other ballgame. Final score posted. Sox won 2-7 and had a majestic fireworks show while '' by Vicente Fernández played in the background. Fans trailed out to their cars. But what lingered wasn't just a win or a loss. It was a sense of collective breath — a reminder that joy isn't frivolous. It's fuel. It's armor. And in the face of everything this country continues to throw at immigrant communities, that joy under stadium lights may be the most radical thing of all.
