Activist Lee Ming-che calls for Taiwan-Europe human rights cooperation

Taipei, Oct. 14 (CNA) Taiwanese activist Lee Ming-che (李明哲), who spent five years in a Chinese prison, visited the European Parliament on Tuesday and called for closer cooperation between Taiwan and Europe on human rights.

At a meeting at the parliament, Lee said democratic governments should give human rights activists the protection they need and work with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) so that people under threat can safely seek help and stay active in civic life, according to a news release from the Taiwan-based New School for Democracy Association.

The meeting was hosted by European Parliament member Bernard Guetta and attended by fellow member Engin Eroglu, the release said.

Lee thanked the European Parliament for speaking out in support of him during his 2017-2022 detention in China, where he was convicted of "subverting state power."

He said transnational repression targets not only activists but also their families, seeking to silence them through threats against family members, pressure from local collaborators and information manipulation.

Drawing on his own experience, Lee said the Chinese government had used pressure from a local intermediary to threaten his wife with warnings about his safety, in an effort to silence her and cut her off from the Taiwanese government and NGOs.

After he returned to Taiwan, Lee said, he was approached by family members of other people detained by China, who feared that publicizing the cases or seeking assistance from Taiwanese authorities could put their imprisoned family members at greater risk.

Such intimidation keeps the public from learning the truth and leaves activists isolated, he said.

Speaking about efforts to resist China's transnational repression, activist Hsiao I-min (蕭逸民) cited Lee's long-running work telling Chinese audiences online about Taiwan's democracy.

Lee has also helped organize a support network that collects donations to provide regular help to the families of political prisoners detained by China with their daily living expenses, Hsiao said.

China's threat to Taiwan extends beyond the military sphere and directly affects personal freedom, democracy and human rights, Hsiao said, adding that judicial reform, victim protection and human rights advocacy are all part of resisting authoritarianism.

Lee's visit is part of his "Human Rights in Solidarity" tour of Europe from Oct. 7 to 16, which includes stops in Germany and Belgium, according to a separate statement from the organization.

The tour aims to put the experiences of Taiwanese, Hong Kong and Uyghur communities facing authoritarian repression on the public agenda in Europe, the statement said.