On 10th anniversary of the detention of jailed Swedish publisher Gui Minhai in China

B10 0414/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on 10th anniversary of the detention of jailed Swedish publisher Gui Minhai in China

(2025/2906(RSP))

The European Parliament,

INSERTMSGhaving regard to Rule 150 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Gui Minhai, a Swedish citizen of Chinese origin, disappeared in Thailand on 17 October 2015; whereas his abduction was part of a broader crackdown by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) against Hong Kong–based publishers and bookseller, such as the Mighty Current, a publishing house investigating into PRC politics, of which Gui is among the founders;

B. whereas in 2020 Gui received a 10-year sentence for “illegally providing intelligence to foreign countries”; whereas no information on Gui’s whereabouts was given ever since and he has been denied all contact with his family and even consular support from Sweden; whereas he’s long been in very precarious health conditions;

C. whereas international due process standards, and PRC’s obligations under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations have been violated in Gui’s case, inter alia through forced confession and renouncement of his Swedish nationality, in violation of Sweden’s sovereign rights;

D. Whereas extraterritorial abduction and repression by PRC authorities has become a widespread practice;

E. whereas China is ranked 178th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2025 World Press Freedom Index;

1. Strongly condemns the enforced disappearance of Swedish citizen Gui Minhai, and urges the PRC to immediately and unconditionally release him, as well as all other arbitrarily detained journalists and publishers;

2. Urges the PRC to immediately allow Gui to communicate with his daughter freely and receive independent medical support, independent legal aid and Sweden’s consular support;

3. Urges the EEAS, Commission and Member States (MS), particularly Sweden, to raise the case of Gui Minhai in all dialogues with Chinese authorities and demand from PRC his unconditional and immediate release, as well as information on his conditions and whereabouts; Further calls on the EEAS, Commission and MS to raise press freedom and the release of all detained journalists among the key issues in EU-China relations;

4. Urges the EEAS, Commission and MS to demand from the PRC the immediate release of all political prisoners, including Sakharov Prize Laurate Ilham Tohti and pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, Uyghur ethnographer Rahile Dawut, “Bridge Man” Peng Lifa, Human rights lawyers Gao Zhisheng, Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi, among others; expresses the concern that the PRC has been increasingly denying trial monitoring rights to EU and MS representatives;

5. Is concerned that PRC authorities increasingly resort to transnational repression to target those who have fled persecution or continue working from abroad; urges MS to suspend extradition treaties with the PRC;

6. Calls on the EU and its MS to continue to confront PRC’ human rights abuses at the UN Human Rights Council;

7. Condemns that the PRC has not yet ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

8.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the PRC Government.