Image Source: TRIBUNE

China has sentenced Swedish book publisher Gui Minhai to 10 years in prison on charges of illegally providing intelligence abroad and claimed him as a citizen, prompting Stockholm to call for his release in a case that has rattled diplomatic relations.

Gui, one of five Hong Kong-based booksellers known for publishing salacious titles about Chinese political leaders, was snatched by Chinese authorities while on a train to Beijing in February 2018, the second time he disappeared into Chinese custody.

The court in the eastern city of Ningbo said the Chinese-born Gui was convicted to ten years in prison Monday, and claimed that he voluntarily reinstated his Chinese citizenship in 2018