Resolution on the case of Gui Minhai, jailed publisher in China

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the case of Gui Minhai, jailed publisher in China.

The resolution was tabled by the EPP, S&D, ECR, ALDE, Greens/EFA, GUE/NGL and EFDD groups.

Members recalled that Gui Minhai, a book publisher and shareholder of the publishing house and of a bookstore selling literary works critical of Beijing, disappeared in Pattaya, Thailand, on 17 October 2015 without trace. Gui Minhai is a Swedish citizen of Chinese origin and therefore an EU citizen.

Members also recalled that he has been under arrest for more than a year, incommunicado, and his whereabouts are unknown. They urged the relevant authorities in Thailand, China and Hong Kong to clarify the circumstances of the disappearances and stressed that the independence of book editors, journalists and bloggers must be safeguarded.

Members were also concerned about the new law on cybersecurity, which would bolster and institutionalise the practices of cyberspace censorship and monitoring in China, and the forthcoming entry into force of the new Foreign NGO Management Law on 1 January 2017, given that the latter would drastically hamper the activities of Chinese civil society and would severely restrict the freedoms of association and expression in the country.

Parliament emphasised the European Union’s commitment to strengthening the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and fundamental freedoms and rights, in particular transparency and freedom of speech and expression, in all the countries with which it has bilateral relations. It urged the relevant EU institutions to act swiftly and to place the case of Gui Minhai on the agenda of the next EU-China Dialogue on Human Rights.