What changed

B100433/2025

B100412/2025

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

(2025/2906(RSP))

The European Parliament,

having regard to itsRule previous150(5) resolutionsof onits China,Rules of Procedure,

having regard to the 40th EU-China Human Rights Dialogue held in Brussels on 13 June 2025, during which the EU called for the immediate release of Gui Minhai;

Whereas Gui Minhai, a Swedish citizen of Chinese origin, was abducted on 17 October 2015, in Thailand and transferred to China; whereas in February 2020 he was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Ningbo Intermediate People’s Court, - during a closed-door hearing - on the charge of “illegally providing intelligence to foreign countries”;

having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

whereas since the verdict, his place of detention remains unknown and Gui Minhai has been denied all contact with his family and consular support;

whereas Gui Minhai, a Swedish citizen of Chinese origin, co-founder of Mighty Current Media and shareholder of the Causeway Bay Bookstore in Hong Kong - known for publishing works critical of the Chinese leadership - was abducted in Pattaya, Thailand, on 17 October 2015;

whereas at the time of his arrest, Minhai held only Swedish nationality, since the PRC does not recognize dual citizenship; whereas following Gui’s conviction, Chinese authorities claimed he had renounced Swedish nationality and reinstated his Chinese citizenship;

whereas Gui Minhai has been detained for nearly ten years, with his current whereabouts still unknown;

whereas he is the only EU-citizen publisher/activist currently detained in China;

whereas his fundamental rights have been repeatedly violated, including the denial of family visits, legal representation, and adequate medical care since 2018;

whereas Gui’s ongoing detention is not an isolated case, at least 120 journalists are currently detained; whereas the PRC is ranked 178th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2025 World Press Freedom Index;

whereas in February 2020, Chinese authorities sentenced Gui Minhai to 10 years in prison on politically motivated charges, following a trial which was in clear violation of international standards of due process;

Condemns the abduction, ongoing detention and sentencing of Swedish national Gui Minhai, and calls for his immediate release;

whereas Sweden has repeatedly requested consular access under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which China has consistently denied;

Requires Gui Minhai´s case be reviewed with full procedural guarantees and the right to a fair trial, including protection against forced confessions and torture;

whereas in June 2021, the Swedish Government, after demands from the Swedish Parliament, appointed a commission tasked with investigating cases of Swedish citizens arbitrarily detained abroad, including the serious and concerning case of Gui Minhai;

Denounces that, since the judgment was rendered against him, no information has been provided regarding either the place of his detention or the conditions under which he is being held, and he has been denied all contact with his family as well as access to consular assistance;

Reiterates its call for the immediate and unconditional release of Gui Minhai, as well as all other publishers and booksellers still detained in China;

Urges Chinese authorities to provide clear and publicly accessible information on Gui Minhai’s health and detention conditions, given reports of serious health deterioration;

Calls on the Chinese authorities to immediately comply with their international obligations and ensure Gui Minhai’s unhindered access to his family, legal representative of his choice, consular officials and adequate medical care;

Requests to guarantee medical assistance, and the protection of Gui Minhai's rights in accordance with international human rights standards;

Expresses profound concerns over his unlawful detention and the lack of transparency with regard to his whereabouts and health; draws attention to widespread concerns that Gui Minhai might be at risk of torture and ill-treatment;

Urges to ensure Minhai's right to maintain regular contact with his family, in accordance with international human rights standards, including the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Mandela Rules); highlights that such contact is essential to safeguarding his dignity, well-being, and the protection of family life;

Strongly condemns China’s pattern of enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, politically motivated trials, forced confessions, and other severe human rights violations;

Demands that Chinese authorities fully respect Gui Minhai's right to receive consular assistance from Sweden and the EU, according to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations;

Recalls that the independence of writers, publishers, journalists and bloggers must be protected at all times; calls on the Chinese authorities to refrain from all forms of political intimidation and repression against them;

Highlights that only the Swedish Migration Agency can process a citizenship renunciation;

Deplores any restrictions limiting the freedom of expression, including internet censorship, and urges the Chinese Government to halt all attempts at curtailing the free flow of information;

Urge China's authorities to respect freedom of expression and the independence of editors, publishers, journalists, and human rights defenders, in line with its international obligations to respect press freedom and the right to information, as guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which China has signed, and Article 35 of the Chinese Constitution;

Underlines that EU-China relations must be based on mutual trust, transparency and respect for human rights; insists that Gui Minhai’s case be raised systematically in bilateral and multilateral dialogues;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the VP/HR, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the Government and the Parliament of the People’s Republic of China

Expresses solidarity with Gui Minhai’s family, in particular his daughter Angela Gui, who continues to advocate tirelessly for his release;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Government and Parliament of the People’s Republic of China, and the Chief Executive and the Assembly of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.