The European Union has expressed serious concern over the arrest of two prominent Chinese human rights activists, Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan, and is urging their immediate release. The couple was detained in Beijing last week just before a scheduled meeting with EU officials.
An EU spokesperson stated in an email to Reuters on Tuesday that the activists' detention shortly before their meeting with visiting EU officials was "already not acceptable," adding that their "formal arrest on Saturday is a matter of serious concern."
"The EU requested the Chinese authorities for their immediate and unconditional release," the spokesperson said, emphasizing that the EU consistently raises its concerns about China's crackdown on human rights activists and lawyers at all levels.
Chinese authorities have not confirmed the couple's detention, and Beijing's Public Security Bureau did not immediately respond to a request for comment. At a Wednesday briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin did not directly address the arrests but asserted that "Chinese authorities handle cases according to the law" and opposed interference in China's internal affairs.
Yu Wensheng, 55, is a human rights lawyer who served a four-year prison sentence for "subversion of state power" last year. He was among over 300 rights lawyers and activists arrested in a 2015 crackdown. His wife, activist Xu Yan, campaigned for his release and alleged that he had been subjected to torture and poor health conditions while detained. Chinese authorities deny any accusations of torture.
The couple was formally arrested for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," a charge often used against dissidents, which can result in prison terms of up to 10 years in more severe cases, according to human rights lawyer Peng Jian, who cited information from a relative.
The pair had intended to meet with the EU's top diplomat for Asia, Gunnar Wiegand, EU Ambassador to China Jorge Toledo Albinana, and Chinese civil society representatives, a source familiar with the matter said.
On Friday, the EU delegation in Beijing reported that three other human rights lawyers, Wang Quanzhang, Wang Yu, and Bao Longjun, had been placed under house arrest. Two of these lawyers managed to attend Thursday's meeting, according to a source who chose to remain anonymous.
