(LONDON, July 9, 2025)—On July 9, 2025, U.K. Minister for the Indo Pacific Catherine West MP, replied to a letter by Lord David Alton and other Parliamentarians on May 26, 2025 about the prolonged arbitrary detention of Dr. Wang Bingzhang, a prominent Chinese dissident, who was abducted in Vietnam in 2002 and sentenced to life imprisonment in China. Fortify Rights helped draft the letter to Catherine West MP.
In her response, Catherine West MP mentioned that the U.K. remains committed to working with partners and in multilateral fora to end arbitrary detention to advocate for those who have been arbitrarily detained to be released, and to demand accountability and that they call on states, including China, that engage in the practice of politically motivated detention to stop immediately and to respect their international obligations and commitments.
Earlier, on May 7, 2025, U.K. government ministers Baroness Jennifer Chapmanand Catherine West responded to similar questions about the U.K.government’s engagement with China on the continued arbitrarydetention of Dr. Wang Bingzhang. The two ministers affirmedthat the government is collaborating with international partners tohold China accountable for human rights violations.
Lord David Altonand Blair McDougall MP submitted questions on April 23 and April 28,respectively, and on April 16, 2025, Jim Shannon MP tabled an “EarlyDay Motion” on Dr. Wang Bingzhang’s detention, which received twosignatures as of July 28, 2025. Fortify Rights assisted the MPs in drafting the respective questions and motion.
Eight U.K. parliamentarians also sent a letter, which Fortify Rights assisted with, to U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy MP on May 26, 2025 about Dr. Wang Bingzhang’s detention. On July 9, 2025, Catherine West MP responded, stating that the UK remains committed to collaborating with partners and engaging in multilateral forums to end arbitrary detention. To bring further attention to Dr. Wang Bingzhang’s detention, on June 3, 2025, Fortify Rights published a news release advocating for the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Wang Bingzhang.
The 77-year-old prodemocracy activist has spent 23 years in solitary confinement following his abduction from Vietnam in 2002 and life sentence in China. He founded the pro-democracy magazine China Spring and is a leader of the overseas Chinese pro-democracy movement. In the news release, Fortify Rights raised concerns about his health in detention and how his detention is a violation of international law. Dr. Wang has permanent residency status in the U.S.