International Coalition for Democratic Renewal and Forum 2000 Call on China to Immediately Release Min Zin
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International democracy coalition condemns the detention of prominent US scholar and democracy advocate, warning that his wrongful detention threatens academic freedom and the open exchange of ideas, according to a press statement on 16 October.
The International Coalition for Democratic Renewal (ICDR) and the Forum 2000 Foundation have called on Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Min Zin, a prominent independent American scholar on Myanmar, democracy advocate, political analyst, and founder of the Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar (ISP-Myanmar). Min Zin has been wrongfully detained in China since June 3, 2026.
In a joint statement issued on October 15, following the 30th Forum 2000 Conference in Prague, the two organizations expressed deep concern over Min Zin’s detention and the lack of information about his condition, access to legal counsel, and the absence of credible evidence supporting the accusations against him.
“The International Coalition for Democratic Renewal (ICDR) and Forum 2000 Foundation are deeply concerned by the wrongful detention of Min Zin, a prominent democracy advocate and independent scholar, in China,” the statement declared.
The statement noted that Min Zin, a United States citizen, had travelled to China’s Yunnan Province at the invitation of a Chinese professor to attend an academic workshop. However, he was detained immediately upon arrival at the airport on June 3.
“He has since spent over one hundred days in criminal detention at an undisclosed location investigated on spurious allegations of espionage and endangering China’s national security,” the statement said.
It further emphasized that since his detention, there has been little information about his condition, legal representation, or any credible evidence substantiating the allegations made by the Chinese authorities.
The organizations strongly criticized the broader implications of his detention, declaring:
“China’s detention of Min Zin is an affront to international norms and standards and sends a chilling message to those in our community who uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and the open exchange of ideas.”
The statement concluded with an unequivocal demand:
“We call upon President Xi and the relevant authorities in China to facilitate Min Zin’s immediate and unconditional release and his safe return home.”
Min Zin’s Long Association with Václav Havel and Forum 2000
The joint statement also highlighted Min Zin’s decades-long involvement in Myanmar’s struggle for freedom and his close association with the international community of democracy advocates brought together by the late Czech President Václav Havel.
“Min Zin has long been a part of the Forum 2000 family and is an active believer in this community’s mission,” the statement said.
As a student activist during Myanmar’s historic 1988 pro-democracy uprising, Min Zin spent nine years underground organizing communities and resisting military rule before eventually escaping to Thailand.
He subsequently became a journalist and analyst, using independent media to document Myanmar’s struggle for democracy. Later, he studied at the University of California at Berkeley, where he received a master’s degree in Asian Studies and pursued doctoral studies in Political Science.
In 2016, during Myanmar’s period of opening, he founded the Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar, an independent open-source research organization dedicated to political analysis, public policy, and the development of a new generation of Myanmar intellectuals and policy thinkers.
The statement recalled that Min Zin first attended the Forum 2000 Conference in 2001, an experience that profoundly shaped his understanding of international democratic solidarity.
According to the statement, he came away from that conference with a deeper appreciation of the importance of democracy activists supporting one another and learning from each other’s experiences, struggles, and achievements.
In 2007, Min Zin was among a group of international democracy advocates who spoke alongside Václav Havel when the former Czech president received the National Endowment for Democracy’s Democracy Service Medal.
Following Havel’s death in 2011, Min Zin paid tribute to the Czech dissident and former president, recalling how Havel’s writings had inspired him.
“Since I lived in Burma and was on the run to escape from the arrest of the military regime, I sought inspiration and courage from reading a poor Xeroxed copy of The Power of the Powerless. Havel has guided me all the way along.”
Min Zin himself is a member of the International Coalition for Democratic Renewal (ICDR). By calling for Min Zin’s immediate release, the ICDR and the Forum 2000 Foundation reaffirmed their solidarity with a longtime member of the coalition and of the international democratic community – and their concern over the treatment of independent scholars and democracy advocates.
More Than Four Months in Detention
Min Zin’s detention has also attracted international attention because of the circumstances surrounding his arrest and his reported treatment in Chinese custody.
According to information circulated by advocates working on his case, Min Zin has been held in an undisclosed facility under China’s Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location (RSDL) system, which has been criticized by United Nations human rights experts for its lack of due process safeguards and the risk of ill-treatment.
Reports indicate that his wife and teenage daughter have been unable to communicate directly with him, while his access to legal counsel has been denied.
On August 20, the United States government formally designated Min Zin as wrongfully detained following an official review of the circumstances of his arrest.
According to Reuters, a senior U.S. State Department official confirmed that securing his release is a priority for Washington.
Chinese authorities have accused Min Zin of espionage and activities endangering China’s national security. The detention of a prominent American scholar who travelled to China for an academic event has also raised concerns about the risks faced by independent researchers and intellectuals engaging with Chinese institutions.
The full statement is available on the Forum 2000 Foundation’s official website: https://www.forum2000.cz/en/news/statement-on-the-wrongful-detention-of-min-zin
What Is the International Coalition for Democratic Renewal?
The International Coalition for Democratic Renewal (ICDR) is a global network bringing together approximately 500 prominent intellectuals, political leaders, civil society activists, and democracy advocates from around the world. Founded in Prague in 2017, the coalition seeks to strengthen international solidarity among democratic movements and defend democratic principles against growing authoritarian challenges
Its founding document, the Prague Appeal, was issued on May 26, 2017, and the coalition was officially launched during the Forum 2000 Conference in October of the same year.
Among its prominent members are Nobel Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich, political scientist Francis Fukuyama, Russian opposition figure Garry Kasparov, historian and author Anne Applebaum, French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy, political scientist Ivan Krastev, and Cuban democracy activist Rosa María Payá.
The coalition seeks to strengthen international solidarity among democratic movements, defend democratic principles against authoritarian challenges, and provide intellectual and political support to those struggling for freedom in authoritarian countries.
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