In a statement issued on Tuesday 29 October, the European External Action Service (EEAS) expressed the EU’s dismay at the sentencing of Chinese human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan to three years and one year and nine months imprisonment respectively for “inciting subversion of state power”.
Last August, EEAS spokesperson Nabila Massrali deplored the detention of Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan and the fact that representatives of EU diplomatic missions accredited in China were denied access to the courtroom during their trial (see EUROPE 13470/4).
The couple were arrested on 3 April 2023 on their way to the EU delegation in Beijing for a meeting with senior EEAS officials.
Following the verdict, the EU reiterated its calls for their immediate and unconditional release. It also calls on China to guarantee them “full access to adequate medical care, as well as regular access to lawyers of their choice and regular contact with their families”. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)