China: Human Rights

(asked on 4th July 2019) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on the continued harassment and detention of human rights lawyers in China since the mass arrest of lawyers and their colleagues on 8 July 2015.


Answered by
Andrew Murrison Portrait
Andrew Murrison
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This question was answered on 9th July 2019

We remain seriously concerned that a number of Chinese lawyers and rights activists (often referred to as “709” due to their date of detention) have remained detained since July 2015. These cases have raised serious issues about due process and transparency of justice in China. We urge the authorities to release those detained for the peaceful and constitutionally-protected expression of their views.

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