Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the release of Yu Dongyue and Xiao Yunliang - Main contents

The EU welcomes the release of Yu Dongyue and of Xiao Yunliang. Yu Dongyue had concluded his 20-year sentence on 21 February following two sentence reductions. Xiao Yunliang had the remaining 24 days of his four-year sentence commuted on 23 February. Both cases have been on the EU's list of individual prisoners of concern. Xiao Yunliang had been arrested and sentenced together with Yao Fuxin. Whilst Xiao has been released, Yao Fuxin is still serving a sentence. The EU would like to reiterate its concerns about his health, his treatment and the way the judgement was arrived at.

While appreciating the release the EU reiterates its appeal to restore the political rights of Yu Dongyue and Xiao Yunliang so as to enable them to once again become full members of Chinese society and to make contributions to its further development.

With regard to the case of Yu Dongyue the EU notes with concern reports suggesting that Yu was tortured and suffered a breakdown in prison. The EU urges the Chinese authorities to examine the practices of its prisons and to ensure that they meet international standards. The EU hopes that the Chinese authorities will release further prisoners from the EU's list of prisoners of concern in the near future.

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The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Iceland and Liechtenstein, members of the European Economic Area, as well as the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.

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  Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.