EU demands ‘immediate and unconditional’ release of two Chinese activists arrested in Beijing
- Pair were due to meet visiting EU officials at bloc’s embassy in the capital; three other lawyers were also detained
- Video posted to activist’s Twitter account said they were detained for ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’
The European Union has called for the “immediate and unconditional” release of two Chinese activists who were detained in Beijing while on their way to meet senior EU officials.
Yu Wensheng, a human rights lawyer, was detained along with his wife Xu Yan on April 13 as they made their way to the EU’s Beijing embassy for meetings with the team of Brussels’ top diplomat, Josep Borrell. Borrell himself had been expected to attend, but cancelled a trip to China after testing positive for Covid-19.
They were subsequently formally arrested on April 15. According to a video posted to Xu’s Twitter account, they were detained for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” – a criminal charge that has been widely criticised for its potential to be used to muzzle dissent.
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The EU says three other human rights lawyers were placed under house arrest in the Chinese capital in connection with the event. They are Wang Quanzhang, Wang Yu and Bao Longjun.