欧洲联盟外交与安全政策高级代表凯瑟琳·阿什顿昨日就中国人权捍卫者曹顺利女士之死表示深切哀悼，代表欧盟向曹顺利在推动独立公民社会参与联合国普遍定期审议上所作出的努力致敬。欧盟再次呼吁中国释放所有因以和平方式表达观点而遭到监禁或拘留的人士，从而落实十八届三中全会的决定和中国向人权理事会所作出的承诺。
英文全文如下：
Statement
by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton regarding the death
of Chinese Human Rights defender, Ms Cao Shunli
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, issued the following statement today:
“I am deeply saddened by the death of Ms Cao Shunli. She had campaigned peacefully for the full participation of independent civil society organisations in the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process and was due to travel to Geneva when she disappeared, and was subsequently arrested and put in detention, although never indicted. As her health seriously
deteriorated, she was finally transferred to a military hospital where she died on 14 March 2014.
The EU would like to pay tribute to Ms Cao Shunli’s engagement and recall the EU’s attachment to the full participation of independent civil society organisations in the Universal Periodic Review process.
The EU also reaffirms its call on China to implement the announcements made at the last Third Plenum Central Committee of the 18th Chinese Communist Party, as well as the pledges before the Human Rights Council, by releasing all those imprisoned or detained for the peaceful expression of their views.”