§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the treatment of Pastor Gong Shengliang, held in Jingzhou prison, Hubei Province, China. [130569]
§ Mr. RammellWe have been concerned about reports that Pastor Gong Shengliang has suffered ill treatment in Jingzhou prison, Hubei Province. We supported an EU demarche on this subject in Beijing on 18 July. The Chinese authorities said that the allegations of torture and ill-treatment were untrue and that Pastor Gong was in good health.
We have also raised Pastor Gong's case directly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On 31 July the Chinese authorities told us that Pastor Gong had had stomach problems before he was imprisoned and that following treatment the problems had stabilised. His relatives have visited him four times.