Wives of detained lawyers appeal to Trump to press China on rights

FILE PHOTO: Wang Yanfang, wife of Chinese human rights lawyer Tang Jingling, holds his portrait during a protest calling for the release of Tang and other political prisoners, outside the Chinese liaison office in Hong Kong July 6, 2014. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wives of human rights lawyers detained by China in a sweeping crackdown two years ago appealed in the U.S. Congress on Thursday for President Donald Trump to press Beijing to free activists and end torture.

The wives of Taiwanese national Lee Ming-che and mainland lawyers Tang Jingling, Jiang Tianyong and Xie Yang issued their appeals directly at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing, while the wives of two other detained lawyers, Wang Quanzhang and Li Heping, delivered their appeals via a video.