By Lobsang Wangyal

A Tibetan rights group called a “huge blow to human rights movement in China” the death of a prominent Chinese human rights activist. Cao Shunli, 52, died on Friday after falling critically ill in detention after police had denied her medical treatment for months.

Cao was detained in September for staging a two-month sit-in along with other activists at the country’s foreign ministry, beginning in June. She had been in police custody since September last year and was suffering from various medical conditions. Authorities denied her access to medical treatment until she was seriously ill. She died in a hospital in Beijing.

“Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to family, friends and fellow activists of Cao Shunli, who had the best interests of China in her heart and remained defiant until her untimely death despite unimaginable horrors she suffered in police detention,” said Ms Tsering Tsomo, the director of Tibetan rights group.

“Cao Shunli’s death illustrates that arbitrary detention, torture, and death in detention, are prevalent throughout the People’s Republic of China and not limited to Tibet and ethnic and religious minorities. It is also a reminder that the violations of universal human rights deserve the attention and condemnation of the international community. Those responsible for human rights abuses should be held responsible.”

Ms Tsomo added that the story of Cao’s arrest, torture, and death follows the same pattern as the death of Tibetans during detention.

The United States expressed concern over Cao’s death. “The United States is deeply disturbed by reports that rights activist Cao Shunli has passed away at a hospital in Beijing. We offer our condolences to her family,” said Jen Psaki, spokesperson of the US State Department.

“We continue to be concerned about the human rights situation in China and will continue to urge Chinese authorities to guarantee all Chinese citizens the protections and freedoms to which they are entitled under China’s international human rights commitments.”

Before her detention Cao was in poor health, and during her detention she was denied medical care. On 20 February, she was transferred to a military hospital in extremely critical condition. She received a medical parole on 27 February and died fifteen days later.

Her brother Cao Yunli has said that he was unable to take a second look at his sister’s body after seeing the signs on it of the mistreatment she received during approximately five and half months in detention.

Cao Shunli was a citizen legal activist in the PRC. She tried to hold the PRC to its own standards by using the PRC’s laws and courts to advocate for citizen’s participation in reporting the PRC’s human rights progress to the international community.

In furtherance of this goal, Cao Shunli submitted documents to the United Nations for the PRC’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in October 2013. She was set to travel to Switzerland to take part in a UN human rights training programme last September, but authorities detained her at the Beijing international airport.

“The United Nations Human Rights Council and the international community should take the opportunity to make the PRC accountable for the human rights abuses that Cao Shunli died trying to bring to the attention of the international community,” Ms Tsomo said.