EU leaders must use China summit to secure release of Uyghur activists, rights groups urge

EU president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council chief Charles Michel are set to travel to Beijing for crucial talks this week. Beijing has warned them to keep the summit ‘constructive’

The daughter of a respected and outspoken Uyghur economist who has been in prison for almost a decade on charges relating to "separatism" has called on EU leaders to press for his release during an upcoming summit with China.

Ilham Tohti was arrested in January 2014 following a raid on his home and sentenced to life in prison following a two-day trial.

Next month, Ilham will complete 10 years in prison – where exactly his family does not know, according to his daughter Jewher Ilham.