Advanced

PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
China: Human Rights (4 September 2015)

Question Asked

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with its Chinese counterpart on the detainment of Zhang Kai and Liu Peng.

Asked by:
Mark Pritchard (Conservative)

Answer

I am aware of reports that lawyer Zhang Kai was detained on 25 August, alongside two of his assistants, Liu Peng and Fang Xiangui, and members of a Christian congregation.

I am concerned that this is reflective of the wider situation facing rights lawyers in China. Reports suggest that over 200 lawyers have been detained or questioned since 9 July, and the space in which they operate is increasingly constrained.

The UK supported an EU statement of 15 July which said the detentions raised serious questions about China’s commitment to strengthening the rule of law. We have ongoing discussions with the Chinese authorities on human rights and rule of law issues, and discussed these matters in detail during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in April. We also raise the broader range of our concerns in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy (www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk).


Answered by:
Lord Swire (Conservative)
14 September 2015

Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.