US Failing Its Prisoners in China After Russia Swap, Says Anguished Family

Nelson Wells Jr. , 51 , has been languishing in a Chinese prison for over 10 years on minor drug charges.

His parents, a U.S. Army veteran who served from 1974 to 1994 , spoke with Newsweek about their son's diminishing spirits and increased medical episodes.

Wells Jr. suffers from severe epileptic seizures, high blood pressure and mental health trauma.

He's the only American , let alone Black American , in his current prison and has reportedly been mentally and physically harassed.

Nelson Wells Jr. ended up in China after an accident in Japan where he lived with his now ex-wife and two children.

He was riding his moped when a vehicle traveling the wrong way down a street crashed into him, resulting in several injuries that required over a year of recuperation.

He, according to his father, got roped in with unknown individuals and eventually charged for attempting to smuggle drugs out of China .

The Chinese government wrongfully detains more Americans than any other nation.

The last time a U.S. citizen was publicly released from China was in 2022 .

China experts tell Newsweek that Chinese authorities have routinely engaged in various forms of hostage taking for commercial purposes or in connection with domestic corruption cases, with prisoner exchanges rarer.