On Wednesday, April 26, Phan-Gillis was sentenced by Chinese courts to almost four years in prison and deportation. (Photo : Twitter)
Sandy Gillis or Phan Phan-Gillis is a businesswoman in China who will be deported to the U.S. after her husband, Jeff Gillis, fought hard for her freedom.
The businesswoman was charged with spying and a judge from a court in Nanning sentenced her to three and a half years in prison.
The spying incident occurred more than 20 years ago, according to Gillis's lawyer, Shang Baojun.
"A court can order expulsion from the country for foreign nationals either after serving a sentence or concurrent with a sentence starting, but the judge wasn't clear on which applied here, so I also have to wait to read the verdict," Shang said.
He added, "Of course, I hope that they'll deport her as soon as possible, but we have to wait until we see the written verdict to be sure."
Phan Phan-Gillis is being supported by the United States Consulate in Guangzhou, who said that they have been talking to senior Chinese officials about her case.
The consulate's press office sent an email which stated, "We continue to follow Ms. Phan-Gillis's case closely. We have regularly raised Ms. Phan-Gillis's case with Chinese officials, including at the most senior levels."
The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention slammed China last year for not observing "international norms relating to the right to a fair trial and to liberty and security."
Senator John Cornyn of Texas said, "The continued detention of Sandy Phan-Gillis is inexplicable and unacceptable. Beijing should release her immediately so she can return to her family in Houston."
Following Chinese President Xi Jinping's call to hunt for foreign nationals and locals who are committing acts of treason, local governments have been mercilessly hunting down suspected spies.
A Canadian national, Kevin Garratt, was also released after being charged guilty of espionage. He worked with a charity which gave relief help to North Korean refugees.
