Joint NGO Letter Urges UK Prime Minister to Prioritise Human Rights Agenda During China Visit
22 January 2026: Fortify Rights, ETAC and 17 other organisations issued a joint letter to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to prioritise human rights in his discussions with China’s President Xi Jinping and other government officials during his expected forthcoming visit to Beijing.
Click HERE for the news release by Fortify Rights and HERE for access to the full letter.
The letter was released following the United Kingdom’s approval of a controversial new Chinese mega-embassy in London, and urges the Prime Minister to raise China’s escalating repression in Hong Kong, Tibet, the Uyghur region, as well as violations of freedom of religion or belief across China.
The signatories also advocate for the Prime Minister to address credible allegations of forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience, and urged Starmer to raise mass atrocity crimes in China, including the genocide of the Uyghurs and the crime of forced organ harvesting, both detailed in the judgments of two independent tribunals—the Uyghur Tribunal and the China Tribunal.
Excerpt of the letter below:
We also call upon you to address the issue of forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in China, given the judgment of the independent China Tribunal chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice KC which concluded that this practice continues, is widespread and systematic, and amounts to crimes against humanity against Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghurs. These grave violations of human rights have also been highlighted by United Nations Special Procedures. The Tribunal also found evidence that Falun Gong practitioners are subjected to enforced disappearance, torture, and other inhumane acts. In particular, we urge you to raise the case of Ms Wang Meihong, detained since 2020, sentenced to four years in 2021 and jailed in Heilongjiang Women’s Prison. Ms Wang’s daughter, Amy Minghui Yu, resides in London, and she has been advocating for her mother’s release.
“This cannot be a business-as-usual visit,” said Benedict Rogers, Senior Director of Fortify Rights.
“The British government’s approval of a new Chinese mega embassy in London raises grave concerns, particularly about the threats China poses in terms of espionage and transnational repression, and the U.K.’s willingness to stand up for its security and values. If Keir Starmer goes to Beijing, he should deliver a robust message about the profound concern the U.K. and the international community have about China’s human rights record and the threat it poses to international laws and order. This must not be a visit to normalise relations with one of the most egregious violators of human rights in the world – it must be focused on securing the release of prisoners and an end to mass atrocity crimes in China and abroad.”
