Xue Feng

Xue Feng (; born February 6, 1965) is a Chinese American geologist who worked for IHS Inc. when he was arrested by the Beijing State Security Bureau during a business trip to China. He was subsequently tortured, charged with espionage, and sentenced to 8 years in prison. On April 3, 2015, he was released from the Beijing No.2 Prison and immediately deported to the U.S.

Early life and education Xue Feng was born on February 6, 1965, near the city of Xi'an in Shaanxi province in China. While pursuing a geology degree at Xi'an's Northwest University in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he acted as an interpreter and guide for visiting geologists. One geologist that he met, David Rowley, invited him to do his PhD at the University of Chicago. Residing in Houston, Texas, Xue was on a business trip for IHS, Inc at the time of his arrest. Following his arrest, human rights activist John Kamm told the Associated Press that the BSSB had ignored the deadlines for notification and visits required by Chinese law and its consular agreement with the U.S., and had not provided US consular officials his whereabouts for more than three weeks following his arrest. Upon finally receiving access to US consular officials, Xue revealed he had been tortured, displaying cigarette burn marks on his arms. After taking office in 2009, President Obama pressed for Xue's release in meetings with Chinese officials, to no avail.

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