UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor has called on China to uphold the rights of imprisoned human rights defenders amid ongoing allegations of torture, denial of medical care, and restricted access to family and legal counsel.

Lawlor highlighted concerns over the treatment of seven defenders serving long sentences—Ding Jiaxi, Huang Qi, Huang Yunmin, Ilham Tohti, Qin Yongmin, Zhang Haitao, and Zhao Haitong. Despite her February 2025 request for detailed information, China has provided only vague or incomplete responses.

She also raised alarm over the continued disappearance of prominent lawyer Gao Zhisheng, missing since 2017.

Lawlor criticized China’s failure to provide updates on investigations, calling the lack of engagement “totally unacceptable.”

The UN expert urged China to allow family visits, ensure adequate medical care, and clarify the whereabouts and treatment of all detained defenders.