04/01/2018 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 27 December, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) stated that the convictions of Chinese human rights lawyer Xie Yang and human rights defender Wu Gan on 'subversion of state power' raise serious concerns of due process and respect for the rule of law. In a press release, the spokesperson denounced the fact that their “rights under China's Criminal Procedure Law to a fair trial, proper defence and prompt access to legal representation were not respected”. The spokesperson added that Wu's right to appeal his 8-year sentence needs to be guaranteed, that China's authorities should also investigate the allegations of torture in Wu's case, and anyone found responsible should be prosecuted according to the law. (CG)