April 13 (EUROPA PRESS) –
This Saturday, the European Union asked the Chinese authorities to release human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife, Xu Yan, who were detained exactly one year ago when they were on their way to a meeting with a delegation from Brussels in Beijing.
Likewise, the EU recalls that it has been “repeatedly raising this case with the Chinese authorities, at the highest level” all this time and “once again expresses its concern for the well-being” of the couple.
The EU insists on its request to China “to respect all the rights” of the couple and “guarantee that they are not subjected to mistreatment or torture during their detention.”
Brussels finally remembers that the names of both are included in the EU statement published in the last session of the UN Human Rights Council along with those of other activists and defenders of Human Rights for whom the European bloc requests their release. “immediate and unconditional.”
The lawyer was already detained between 2018 and 2022, apparently persecuted, according to Amnesty International, after having criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping. He was convicted in June 2020, following a secret trial, and claims that while in prison he was tortured. He was also sentenced to three years of “deprivation of political rights.”
