Brussels:Taiwanese activist Lee Ming-che, who spent five years imprisoned in China, visited the European Parliament to advocate for stronger human rights cooperation between Taiwan and Europe.
According to Focus Taiwan, Lee urged democratic governments to provide necessary protection to human rights activists and collaborate with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to ensure that individuals under threat can seek help and remain active in civic life. His remarks came during a meeting hosted by European Parliament member Bernard Guetta and attended by fellow member Engin Eroglu.
Lee expressed gratitude to the European Parliament for their support during his detention from 2017 to 2022 in China, where he was convicted of "subverting state power." He highlighted the issue of transnational repression, which he said targets not only activists but also their families through threats and information manipulation.
Sharing his personal experiences, Lee recounted how the Chinese government had used intermediaries to threaten his wife, aiming to silence her and sever her connections with Taiwanese authorities and NGOs. After his return to Taiwan, Lee was approached by families of other detainees in China, who feared that seeking help might endanger their imprisoned relatives.
Activist Hsiao I-min noted Lee's efforts in reaching Chinese audiences about Taiwan's democracy and organizing a support network to aid families of political prisoners in China. Hsiao emphasized that China's threat to Taiwan impacts personal freedom, democracy, and human rights, advocating for judicial reform and victim protection as part of resisting authoritarianism.
Lee's visit is part of his "Human Rights in Solidarity" tour across Europe, including Germany and Belgium. The tour seeks to highlight the challenges faced by Taiwanese, Hong Kong, and Uyghur communities under authoritarian repression to European audiences.
