Rights groups urge U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to prioritize human rights agenda during China visit
(LONDON, January 22, 2026) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer should prioritize human rights in his discussions with China’s President Xi Jinping and other government officials during his expected forthcoming visit to Beijing, Fortify Rights and 18 other human rights organizations said in a joint letter to the Prime Minister today. In particular, the Prime Minister should seek the immediate release of 78-year-old British citizen, media entrepreneur, and pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai, who has spent the past five years in solitary confinement in prison in Hong Kong and faces the possibility of dying in jail.
Hong Kong authorities arrested Jimmy Lai on August 10, 2020, and on December 15, 2025, a Hong Kong court convicted him of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces in violation of Hong Kong’s draconian national security law and conspiracy to publish seditious material in violation of the Crimes Ordinance. He now faces a potential life sentence for his peaceful exercise of fundamental rights, including the right to freedom of expression.
“We strongly believe that promoting human rights, rather than solely focusing on trade, would be consistent with a clear defense of Britain’s values and national interests,” the letter states.
The joint letter, released following the United Kingdom’s approval of a controversial new Chinese mega-embassy in London, 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.
In addition to Jimmy Lai, the groups urge Prime Minister Starmer to demand the immediate release of political prisoners, including barrister Chow Hang-tung and trade unionist Lee Cheuk-yan, imprisoned in Hong Kong for commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen massacre; Chinese human rights defenders Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi; Chinese-born publisher and Swedish national Gui Minhai; citizen journalist and lawyer Zhang Zhang; and pro-democracy activist Dr Wang Bingzhang.
The letter also advocates for the release of Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti and Professor Rahile Dawut, both sentenced to life imprisonment, and Uyghur author and publisher Yalqun Rozi, sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment. It urges the release of Tibetan singer Lhundrub Drakpa, who is serving a six year prison sentence for a song criticizing the Chinese Communist Party, and Tibetan entrepreneur Dorje Tashi, who is serving a life sentence.
In addition, the signatories urge the Prime Minister to seek information on the whereabouts and wellbeing of Zhang Yadi, a 22-year-old Chinese student who was studying in Paris and was due to begin studies in the U.K. but was arrested in China on July 31, 2025 during a visit to her family. Zhang Yadi was reportedly involved in a peaceful student group that promoted understanding of Tibetan culture and harmony among different communities.
The letter also urges the Prime Minister to address intensified repression of Christian churches and other violations of freedom of religion or belief. It calls on him to demand the release of detained members of Zion Church, including Pastor Ezri Jin Mingri; recently detained members of the Yayang Church; and members of the Early Rain Covenant Church, including Pastor Wang Yi, who is serving a nine-year prison sentence, church leader Li Yingqiang, his wife, and other church members detained earlier this month.
The signatories further urged Prime Minister 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.
The letter also advocates for the Prime Minister to raise human rights crises in Myanmar and North Korea and Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, where China wields extensive influence. The signatories urged the Prime Minister to press China to abide by a global arms embargo on Myanmar’s junta and to cease providing aviation fuel to the junta. They also called on China to end its policy of forcibly returning North Korean refugees in violation of the principle of non-refoulement.
“This cannot be a business-as-usual visit,” said Benedict Rogers. “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 normalize 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.” said Fortify Rights Senior Director Benedict Rogers.