英国在欧盟中曾经是中国最大的辩护者，因为英国推动所谓的“黄金时代”的友谊。没有英国，欧盟可以更加坚守原则，并且通过这次峰会发出明确的信息，那就是虽然欧盟向中国开放更多的贸易，欧洲在支持中国人权方面不会妥协。具体而言，欧盟领导人必须强烈声明继续支持中国人权捍卫者，尽管中国政府企图让这些人权捍卫者噤声。

At the end of April, my last activity with Front Line Defenders was to accompany Brazilian human rights defender and indigenous leader Tonico Benites to Brussels. Tonico had the chance to meet with several policymakers and diplomats to discuss the challenges faced by indigenous persons in Brazil, particularly his group, the Guarani-Kaiowás. As a Brazilian who comes from a state that has practically decimated its native population, I thought I already knew how bad the situation was.

According to the Brazilian Committee of Human Rights Defenders, at least 24 human rights defenders (HRDs) have been killed in the first four months of 2016. This places Brazil at the top of the list of killings of HRDs reported to Front Line Defenders this year.

Last week the government and people of Eritrea celebrated 25 years since independence. No one can deny the courage, resilience and sacrifice of those Eritreans who fought for the independence of their country, yet sadly this very fact prompts the question as to what exactly there is to celebrate 25 years on.