24/05/2018 (Agence Europe) – As Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, Italy) had done the previous day (see EUROPE 12024), the spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) called on Wednesday 23 May for the release of Tibetan human rights defender Tashi Wangchuk, who was sentenced to five years in prison on 22 May. In addition, the EEAS spokesperson also called for the release of other campaigners, including "Ilham Tohti, Wang Quanzhang, Li Yuhan, Huang Qi and Yu Wensheng". The spokesperson said that Tashi's rights "to a fair trial, to be tried without undue delay, and to mount a proper defence" had not been "fully respected". "China needs to ensure that ethnic minorities enjoy equal rights, including freedom of expression and belief, as mandated by the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination", which China ratified in 1981, the EEAS spokesperson stated in a press release. (CG)