The European Union and China held their 37th Human Rights Dialogu... 2 of 3 https://www.eeas.europa.eu/node/60545_en the protection of the human rights of migrants and asylum seekers. The EU highlighted the deteriorating situation of civil and political rights in China, marked by the arrest and detention of a significant number of human rights defenders and lawyers. The EU also raised individual cases and, for those in detention, expressed its expectation that they would be released: • EU national Gui Minhai; • Uighurs, including Ilham Tohti, Tashpolat Tiyip, Rahile Dawut, Eli Mamut, Hailaite Niyazi, Memetjan Abdulla, Abduhelil Zunun, and Abdukerim Abduweli; • Individuals persecuted for their religious beliefs, including Zhang Shaojie, Hu Shigen, Wang Yi, and Sun Qian; • Tibetan activists, writers and religious figures who face criminal charges or have been imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of expression, including Tashi Wangchuk and Lobsang Dargye; • Human Rights defenders and lawyers arrested in connection with exercising the right to promote fundamental human rights including Wang Quanzhang, Yu Wensheng, Huang Qi, Li Yuhan, Zhou Shifeng, Xia Lin, Gao Zhisheng, and Guo Feixiong; • Individuals imprisoned in connection with their activities in defense of the interest of workers, including Wu Guijun, Zhang Zhiru and He Yuancheng; • Individuals imprisoned in connection with their exercise of the universally-recognised right to the freedom of expression, including Wu Gan, Zhen Jianghua, Lü Gengsong, Zhang Haitao and Lu Yuyu; • Female human rights defenders including Wang Yu, Li Yuhan, and Li Xiaoling The EU also raised the cases of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who have been arbitrarily detained, and Robert Schellenberg, who was sentenced to death without due process. The European Union reiterated its opposition to capital punishment in all cases and without exception. The EU also stressed that all detained individuals must be allowed to be represented by a lawyer of their choosing, be given the possibility of meeting their family members, have access to appropriate medical assistance when required, and have allegations of their torture and mistreatment promptly investigated. The Human Rights Dialogue addressed the issues of the protection of freedom of religion and belief, the rights of persons belonging to minorities, and the situation in Xinjiang and Tibet. While actions to counter terrorism are essential, such measures must respect the principle of proportionality, fundamental freedoms and international laws. The EU raised the system of political re-education camps which has been established in Xinjiang as a worrying development. While offering supervised visits to the region to international journalists and foreign officials is a positive step, the European Union expectsChina to also allow meaningful, unsupervised and unrestricted access to Xinjiang for independent observers, including for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN Special 21/10/2025, 17:03