Oslo pleads for ‘salmon queen’ jail transfer

Oslo is asking for the Chinese government to transfer Yimin Dong, the woman jailed for salmon smuggling two years ago, to a Norwegian jail.

The family’s plea was sent to the Norwegian government, which has decided to ask the Chinese authorities for Dong to be moved to Norway to serve out her sentence.

The issue is also thought to have been raised when the Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Støre visited China on a seafood mission a couple of weeks ago.

China born Yimin Dong, who is now a Norwegian citizen, received a 14 year sentence in 2018, and is reported to be seriously ill in prison.

She is thought to be paralysed in both her arms and legs due to an injury to the spinal canal in her neck. She also has trouble grasping hold of things.

Known in Norway as the “salmon queen” she carved out a successful career selling billions of krone worth of salmon into the Chinese market, but she was convicted of smuggling activity. The authorities alleged that salmon was sent via Vietnam thereby avoiding normal sales channels and defying sanctions.

It was a time of strained relations between Norway and China over Oslo’s support for a Chinese human rights activist, which led to a temporary ban on Norwegian seafood. Relations have greatly improved since.

In a message to Ms Dong’s family , the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness said: “Your wife’s application for a sentence transfer from China to Norway was processed by the King in the Cabinet on Friday 20 September.

“The Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness found that there are sufficient grounds to be able to recommend a sentence transfer, and this was approved by the Cabinet.”