UN Special Rapporteur: China must uphold the rights of imprisoned human rights defenders

GENEVA – China must uphold the rights of imprisoned human rights defenders, including by ensuring that they are not subjected to torture or ill-treatment, a UN expert said today.

“I have been disturbed by consistent allegations I have received about the treatment of imprisoned human rights defenders in China – including in relation to torture, denial of access to adequate medical care and visitation rights,” said Mary Lawlor, the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders.

The expert called on the Government of China to ensure these detainees are granted family and counsel visits and adequate medical attention, and held in officially recognised places of detention, with information on their fate and whereabouts being provided to any person with a legitimate interest.

“Despite making repeated requests, the Chinese authorities have yet to provide detailed responses regarding the alleged treatment of these human rights defenders. Instead, the Government has only provided generic replies with little specific information on the questions raised,” Lawlor said.

She urged Chinese authorities to provide detailed information on the health conditions and treatment, and access to family members and legal representatives, of seven human rights defenders serving prison sentences of 10 years or longer in China.

The Special Rapporteur wrote to the Chinese authorities in February 2025 requesting precise information on the health condition and treatment of Ding Jiaxi, Huang Qi, Huang Yunmin, Ilham Tohti, Qin Yongmin, Zhang Haitao and Zhao Haitong, including dates of their last medical assessments. She also sought a response to allegations of mistreatment and details on why restrictions on family and legal counsel visits had been allegedly imposed on the seven human rights defenders. While specific information was provided on the medical care and family or legal counsel visits received by two of the human rights defenders, only general or no information at all was provided on the remaining five.

Lawlor also requested information on the whereabouts of prominent human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, whose fate has remained unknown since 2017. Gao’s wife, Geng He, who is based in the U.S.A, continues to search for information on his fate and whereabouts. At a public event on 8 July 2025 in Washington D.C., Geng He renewed her call for assistance in locating him.

In reference to previous Chinese Government responses that asserted Gao was not in the custody of the Chinese State, Lawlor asked for details on measures taken by authorities to search and locate him and any investigation launched into his enforced disappearance.

“Gao Zhisheng has been missing for almost eight years and the Chinese Government’s refusal to engage on his enforced disappearance is totally unacceptable. If he is not in detention, prison or under house arrest, then the authorities must reveal what steps they have taken to ascertain what has happened to him,” the expert said.

In response, the Chinese authorities stated that Gao Zhisheng was released from prison in 2014 and that in relation to his case, “there are no issues of so-called ‘enforced disappearance’ or ‘arbitrary detention.’” Subsequently, in a response to a Special Procedures communication sent in 2017, the Government stated that following a missing persons report filed with the police by Gao’s family, “the public security authorities have carried out an inquiry in accordance with the law, and the case is currently still open.”

The Special Rapporteur expressed disappointment that despite her requests for updates on any investigations into Gao Zhisheng’s disappearance, no information has thus far been provided, and renewed her appeal to the Chinese authorities to establish his fate and whereabouts.