China: 39th Human Rights Dialogue with the European Union took pl... 2 of 5 https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/china-39th-human-rights-dialogue-e... autonomy guaranteed by the Basic Law and China’s international commitments towards the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The EU reiterated its further concerns about the very serious human rights situation in China, in particular in Xinjiang, in the Tibetan areas and Hong Kong. In particular, the EU referred to reports on the crackdown on human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists in China. The EU urged China to investigate and stop human rights violations, expressing concern for cases of unlawful detention, enforced disappearance, torture and ill-treatment. The EU raised several individual cases, as included in its most recent Item 4 statement delivered at the 55th Session of the Human Rights Council on 20 March, and called upon China to immediately release those who are detained in violation of due process requirements: • EU citizen Gui Minhai, • Uyghurs, including Sakharov Prize winner Ilham Tohti, Rahile Dawut and Gulshan Abbas, • Tibetan activists, writers and religious leaders, including Go Sherab Gyatso and Tashi Dorje, • Individuals deprived of their liberty for their exercise of the freedom of religion or belief, including Xu Na, Pastor Wang Yi, Zhang Chunlei and Ding Yuande, • Human Rights defenders and lawyers deprived of their liberty for having promoted and protected human rights, including Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan, who were detained on their way to the EU Delegation in Beijing to attend a meeting with senior EU officials, • Individuals deprived of their liberty for their exercise of the freedom of expression, including citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, stressing that the heavy surveillance still imposed on her and the restrictions on her movements are unacceptable, • Women's rights activist Li Qiaochu who was convicted for her advocacy against torture and her involvement in human and women's rights, and • Individuals deprived of their liberty for their exercise of the freedom of peaceful assembly or demonstration, such as Peng Lifa and Kamile Wayit. During the Dialogue, the EU also recognised China’s development achievements which have resulted in significant poverty alleviation among its population. China provided information on its laws and procedures which, in the view of the EU, clearly prioritise national security and counterterrorism over the protection of fundamental freedoms, including in Xinjiang and Tibet. The EU recommended the reassessment of China’s national security framework to ensure China’s compliance with international human rights law. The EU encouraged China to extend a general invitation to all UN Special Procedures and monitoring bodies to assess China’s human rights record and address their 21/10/2025, 16:48