Human Rights Defenders Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan Detained for Over One Year

On April 13, 2023, human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan were detained and subsequently arrested on their way to the EU Delegation to China in Beijing, leaving behind their teenage son. A veteran human rights activist who is known for his work defending petitioners and fellow lawyers, as well as advocating for reform in China, Yu Wensheng was imprisoned and faced torture for four years from 2018 to 2022. Since their arrest in 2023, Xu Yan’s health has also seriously deteriorated under ill-treatment from the authorities, and their son has suffered from severe depression.

On the one year anniversary of their detention, the EU Delegation to China posted the video below calling for their immediate release. The video had 400,000 views by the time it was removed by Chinese censors, 24 hours later.

Human Rights in China strongly condemns the Chinese government’s illegal imprisonment of Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan, and calls for their immediate release.

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