A coalition of 108 international scholars, former diplomats, and foreign policy experts organized through the Scholars at Risk Network issued a joint statement on Thursday, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Min Zin, a Myanmar academic and U.S. citizen detained by Chinese authorities in Kunming, Yunnan Province.
Prominent signatories and diplomatic appeals
- Leading Experts: The joint appeal was signed by prominent foreign policy analysts and academics, including Stanford University scholars Francis Fukuyama and Larry Diamond, Johns Hopkins University historian Anne Applebaum, and former U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar Scot Marciel.
- Academic Representation: Signatories include faculty members across major U.S. institutions, such as Harvard Law School, Columbia University, Yale University, and Min Zin’s alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley.
- Call to Washington: Following the U.S. Department of State’s formal designation of Min Zin as “wrongfully detained” on Aug. 20, the signatories urged the U.S. government to maintain his release as an urgent diplomatic priority in engagements with Beijing.
Min Zin is widely recognized for his non-partisan research on civil-military relations, regional trade, and democratization in Southeast Asia:
Espionage charges and civil society response
| Case Element | Overview & Legal Arguments |
| Chinese Allegations | Authorities in Beijing accuse Min Zin of espionage and activities endangering national security—charges rejected by his family, ISP-Myanmar, and international rights networks. |
| ISP-Myanmar Research Scope | The independent think tank produces open-source policy analysis, including studies on China-Myanmar cross-border trade, resource extraction (such as rare-earth exports), and regional security. |
| Rights Advocates’ Assessment | Human Rights Watch, Fortify Rights, and ARTICLE 19 warn that the arrest represents arbitrary detention and transnational repression aimed at curbing independent academic inquiry. |
“Min Zin is a scholar of international regard who is widely respected for his depth of knowledge, his analytical abilities, and his eagerness to engage in dialogue,” the Scholars at Risk Network added in its Aug. 27 statement.
