Human Rights in China (HRIC) has learned that in recent days, the Chinese authorities have used various procedural obstacles, harassment, and even kidnapping to launch an all-out attack on rights defense lawyers. As of June 1, at least 17 Chinese rights defense lawyers did not receive their “annual licensing inspection and registration” (年度考核登记) approval from the Lawyers Association in their localities, a requisite for lawyers to continue to practice law. Among the law firms that employ these lawyers, at least three firms were also denied the approval, which directly affects the more than 30 lawyers employed by these firms. As a result, these rights defense lawyers and law firms have lost their right to continue to practice, and the cases they are currently representing will not be able to proceed. Additionally, this action may deter even more lawyers and law firms from working in an area of law that attracts few lawyers and law firms to begin with.
In addition, sources tell HRIC that before dawn on June 4, Tang Jitian (唐吉田) from Beijing, one of the 17 lawyers who did not pass the annual inspection, was forcibly taken away by five policemen from the Haidian Branch Office of the Beijing Public Security Bureau. His whereabouts are currently unknown. Before being taken away, on June 3, he was illegally held for more than ten hours by the police from the Sijiqing substation of the Haidian Branch Office. Another lawyer, Lan Zhixue（兰志学), was also held for several hours.
Lawyers Jiang Tianyong (江天勇), Li Heping (李和平), and Li Xiongbing (黎雄兵), who did not pass the annual inspection, and at least three other rights defense lawyers, Li Fangping (李方平), Lan Zhixue, and Pu Zhiqiang (浦志强), have been put under surveillance in recent days and required to take police cars when they go out. Since June 3, lawyer Jiang has been confined to his home by the police and prevented from going to work. Although having passed this year’s annual inspection, lawyer Zhang Kai (张凯) has been asked by his law firm to leave their employ without explanation. This new development indicates a systematic effort by the authorities to suppress rights defense lawyers.
The 17 rights defense lawyers include 14 from Beijing and one each from Heilongjiang, Guangxi, and Liaoning Provinces. The three Beijing law firms that did not pass their annual inspection are Anhui (北京市安汇律师事务所), Gongxin (北京市共信律师事务所), and Shunhe (北京市舜和律师事务所). The firms were told through official and unofficial channels that they did not pass their annual inspection because they represent mass cases “without going through the proper procedures”; their lawyers supported direct elections of representatives of the Lawyers Association; their lawyers advocated for lowering the annual lawyer’s registration fee; and they represented Falun Gong and other politically-sensitive cases. Most of the 17 lawyers have represented cases involving Falun Gong, HIV/AIDS, peasants who have lost land, the tainted milk powder scandal, Reeducation-Through-Labor, house churches, forced evictions, or have advocated direct elections for the Beijing Lawyers Association.
Many affected lawyers believe that this is a suppression tactic employed by the government authorities to prohibit lawyers and law firms from taking on politically-sensitive cases. Lawyer Tang Jitian said, “This is a display of meticulously planned suppression of lawyers who enforce and uphold the law and are dedicated to public interests.” Jiang Tianyong said, “This is a comprehensive and prepared operation, the goal of which is to render defense lawyers unable to practice.” Lawyer Yang Huiwen (杨惠文) also said, “We cannot accept this suspension of our professional activities that does not follow the regulations.”
The 17 lawyers who did not pass the annual inspection are Jiang Tianyong, Li Heping, Li Xiongbing, Li Chunfu (李春富), and Wang Yajun (王雅军) of Globe-Law (北京高博隆华律师事务所) in Beijing; Cheng Hai (程海), Tang Jitian, and Yang Huiwen of Anhui Law Firm in Beijing; Xie Yanyi (谢燕益) and Li Dunyong (李敦勇) of Gongxin Law Firm in Beijing; Wen Haibo (温海波) and Liu Wei (刘巍) of Shunhe Law Firm in Beijing; Zhang Lihui (张立辉) of Beijing G&G (Giant and Goal) Law Firm (北京市国纲华辰律师事务所) in Beijing; Li Jinglin (李静林) of Jiurui Law Firm (北京市久瑞律师事务所) in Beijing; Wei Liangyue (韦良玥) of Jiaodian Law Firm (黑龙江焦点律师所) in Heilongjiang; Yang Zaixin (杨在新) of Baijuming Law Firm (广西百举鸣律师事务所) in Guangxi; Sun Wenbing (孙文冰) of Xinhe Law Firm (辽宁欣合律师事务所) in Liaoning.
HRIC calls on the Chinese authorities to immediately stop the systematic suppression of rights defense lawyers. Rights defense lawyers fight for the public interest and safeguard the lawful rights and interests of groups facing discrimination, and are the core strength in the construction of rule of law. “The authorities’ suppression of rights defense lawyers using various excuses and procedural obstacles, harassment, and intimidation is a great step backward on the path toward rule of law,” said Sharon Hom, executive director of Human Rights in China. “This suppression will inevitably lead to grave consequences for society, creating greater disadvantages for already persecuted groups and greater social instability.” HRIC urges the Chinese government to take conscientious steps to rectify these measures, which are counter to the goal of building a “harmonious society.”
The following are two statements issued recently by a group of rights defense lawyers regarding their plight. One was issued on June 8, 2009, after HRIC’s June 4 press release; the other is the original statement, issued in late May 2009. Both have been translated into English by HRIC.
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Chinese Rights Defense Lawyers under All-out Attack in 2009 After the June Fourth Incident in 1989, the reform of the Chinese political system came to a complete halt. Corruption among the privileged and the occurrence of social injustice were exacerbated, and incidents of group discontent became recurrent. These conditions in the country gradually gave rise to a group of rights defense lawyers who took upon themselves the responsibility of upholding the rule of law, safeguarding human rights, defending the legal rights of citizens, and protecting the impartiality of justice. The emergence and growth of the rights defense lawyers’ community are considered a major achievement in China’s 30-year-long rebuilding of its legal system, and are regarded as an indicator of progress in China’s establishment of the rule of law. But these lawyers who adhere to the rule of law and defend rights according to law have been viewed as a challenge by China’s procuratorial and judicial system and by its special interest groups. As the twentieth anniversary of June Fourth approached, the authorities began to step up their unprecedented all-out attack on the rights defense lawyers. The process of building a country ruled by law has suffered a serious setback, causing widespread concern through all circles of society. |
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On the eve of June Fourth, Chinese rights defense lawyers face full-scale repression. Nearly 20 lawyers will be unable to practice. May 2009 At the time of the twentieth anniversary of June Fourth, the rigid and backward political system has led to social conflicts of unprecedented intensity, and incidents of human rights violations are happening all the time. As the Chinese government bears down heavy-handedly to rein in petitioning citizens, free intellectuals, rights defenders, and religious figures, it has once again in 2009 intensified its full-scale repression of rights defense lawyers to an unprecedented degree. The process of building a country ruled by law has suffered a serious setback, causing widespread concern through all circles of society. Background: Rights defense lawyers are increasingly active in a wide range of human rights issues After the June Fourth Incident in 1989, the reform of the Chinese political system came to a complete halt. Corruption among the privileged and the occurrence of social injustice were exacerbated, and incidents of group discontent became recurrent. This kind of social environment in China gradually gave rise to a group of rights defense lawyers who took upon themselves the responsibility of upholding the rule of law, safeguarding human rights, defending the legal rights of citizens, and protecting the impartiality of justice. These lawyers have been widely active in the defense of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association, freedom of movement, and racial equality; in the defense of the rights and interests of human rights workers, journalists, ethnic minorities, parents from the earthquake disaster area, and owners facing house demolition and land confiscation; in the defense of equal rights when it comes to environmental protection, food safety, disease prevention and medical care; and in safeguarding the civil rights of information, participation, and oversight, while offering voluntary legal service in these areas. The emergence and growth of the rights defense lawyers’ community are considered a major achievement in China’s 30-year-long rebuilding of its legal system, and is regarded as an indicator of progress in China’s establishment of rule of law. But these lawyers who adhere to the rule of law and defend rights according to law have been viewed as a challenge by China’s procuratorial and judicial system and by its special interest groups. As the twentieth anniversary of June Fourth approaches, the authorities are stepping up their unprecedented full-scale repression of rights defense lawyers. Current Situation: A large number of lawyers have encountered administrative “rectification” and infringement by force February 4, 2009: Prominent rights defense lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who was on probation, was taken by police from his ancestral home in Shaanxi Province and disappeared for a long period of time. February 28, 2009: Wei Liangwan, a lawyer from Heilongjiang Province who has defended the accused in many religious freedom cases, was arrested by Harbin police for no reason at all. March 17, 2009: Beijing’s Yitong Law Firm was penalized with a six-month shutdown and “reorganization.” Prominent rights defense lawyers Li Jingsong and Li Subin were unable to continue to work as lawyers or proxies. April 10, 2009: While representing farmers who had lost their land, Yang Zaixin, a lawyer from Guangxi Province, was cruelly beaten by several thugs connected with the government’s illegal seizure of land. April 12, 2009: Cheng Hai, a lawyer from Beijing, was illegally obstructed and savagely beaten by government workers from the Jinyang Street Office and Stability Preservation Office while working in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. April 16, 2009: Liu Yao, a lawyer from Guangdong Province who was representing peasants who had lost their land, was sentenced to one year of imprisonment with a two-year reprieve. May 13, 2009: While Beijing lawyers Zhang Kai and Li Chunfu worked in Jiangjin District in Chongqing, approximately 20 policemen illegally broke into the house of their client, handcuffed and then savagely beat the two lawyers. At the police station, Zhang Kai’s handcuffs were shackled to an overhead iron bar within the cell. The police forced an illegal inspection of his files and took away key pieces of evidence. These [cases] indicate that on the eve of June Fourth, the actions of China’s procuratorial and judicial system to “rectify” and suppress rights defense lawyers have become pervasive. Not only that, what is even more serious is that China’s procuratorial and judicial system is currently taking advantage of the so-called “Annual Inspection and Registration” to directly strip numerous rights defense lawyers of their right to practice. Crisis: Numerous rights defense lawyers face immediate temporary suspension or closing of their practice After judicial authorities adopted various measures of repression, such as annulment of licenses, registration deferral, and suspension of practice, against Teng Biao, Jiang Tianyong, and other rights defense lawyers in 2008 under the pretext of “Annual Inspection and Registration,” a new round of repressive action against rights defense lawyers has already openly begun in 2009. Numerous rights defense lawyers, including Jiang Tianyong, Li Heping, Li Xiongbing, Li Chunfu, Wang Yajun, Cheng Hai, Tang Jitian, Yang Huiwen, Xie Yanyi, Li Dunyong, Wen Haibo, Liu Wei, Zhang Lihui, Peng Jian, Li Jinglin, Lan Zhixue, Zhang Kai, Liu Xiaoyuan, Wei Liangyue (Heilongjiang), and Yang Zaixin (Guangxi), will have their professional qualifications revoked or temporarily suspended under the pretext of the “Annual Inspection and Registration.” The law firms of these lawyers, such as Beijing’s Globe-Law, Anhui, Gongxin, Shunhe, G&G, Jiurui, Jiafa, Yijia, and Qijian; Heilongjiang’s Jiaodian; Guangxi’s Baijuming; and numerous other law firms have been receiving instructions and warnings, one after another, from the Ministry of Judicial Administration and from the Lawyers Association. Some law firms have been asked to immediately rescind employment contracts of lawyers involved with rights defense, others have been asked to give the verdict of “failure to pass annual inspection” in the name of the law firm to the lawyers involved with rights defense, so as to comply with the repressive actions of legal license annulment and temporary suspension of professional qualifications implemented by the procuratorial and judicial system. The system of Annual Inspection and Registration of lawyers is an institution for the supervision of the legal profession with particularly Chinese characteristics. Lawyers who have legally obtained professional qualifications must pay between 500 and 5,000 yuan in inspection and registration fees before May of each year. They must also acquire the “Annual Inspection and Registration” stamp on their lawyer’s license from the judicial administration office in their province in order to be able to continue with their practice. This system has become the most effective method for the procuratorial and judicial system and the government-operated lawyers associations to amass wealth and suppress the rights defense lawyers. The practices of the Shaanxi lawyer Zhang Jiankang, Guangdong lawyers Tang Jingling and Guo Yan, and Shandong lawyer Li Jianqiang (Liu Lu) were all temporarily suspended or closed during the annual inspection and registration process because they participated in rights defense cases. Because this system contradicts several laws, such as the Administrative Licensing Law, the Law on Administrative Penalties, and the Lawyers Law, and because numerous lawyers in China have criticized it as the forced collection of fees and extortion of lawyers, on July 18, 2008, the Chinese Ministry of Justice issued Order 112 to formally repeal the inspection and registration system that year. However, after the lawyer’s yearly inspection and registration system was abolished, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice and judicial authorities of several other cities and provinces separately launched lawyer’s “Annual Inspection and Registration” systems of their own at the beginning of 2009, enabling the “Annual Inspection and Registration” system to continue in disguise. Beijing’s Municipal Lawyers’ “Annual Inspection and Registration” system stipulates that every lawyer in the city must receive annual professional inspection from the Beijing Lawyers Association and pay 2,500 yuan in membership fees collected for the purpose of member registration. Lawyers who pass the inspection will have their lawyer’s licenses stamped with an “inspection pass” seal by the lawyers association and can continue their practice. Lawyers who do not pass the inspection must return their lawyer’s licenses to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice, have the license annulled, and stop their practice. May 31 is the deadline for lawyers to pass the “Annual Inspection and Registration.” After May 31, a large number of rights defense lawyers, including the lawyers mentioned above, will have their lawyer’s licenses annulled by judicial authorities under the pretext that they “failed the annual inspection,” or their membership registration will be deferred so that they cannot continue to practice. The Beijing Lawyers Association, which was intended to uphold the rights and interests of lawyers, will once again become the accomplice of the judicial administrative institutions in suppressing rights defense lawyers. What until now had been covert practice is now being carried out openly. Attached:
Jiang Tianyong Li Heping Li Xiongbing Li Chunfu Wang Yajun Cheng Hai Tang Jitian Yang Huiwen Xie Yanyi Li Dunyong Wen Haibo Liu Wei Zhang Lihui Li Shunzhang Peng Jian Li Jinglin Lan Zhixue Zhang Kai Liu Xiaoyuan Li Jingsong Wei Liangyue Yang Zaixin
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For more information on harassment of rights defense lawyers, see:
- “Beijing Lawyers Beaten for Representing Falun Gong Case,” May 13, 2009
- “Wife of Abducted Rights Defense Lawyer Gao Zhisheng Requests Urgent Help from U.S. Congress in Open Letter,” April 23, 2009
- “Pursuant to New Court Ruling, Shenzhen Rights Defense Lawyer Liu Yao Released after More than 400 Days in Detention,” April 17, 2009
- “Shanghai Rights Defender Harassed on Heels of National Human Rights Action Plan Release,” April 15, 2009
- “Family of Missing Rights Defense Lawyer Gao Zhisheng Arrives in U.S.,” March 11, 2009
- “Human Rights Lawyer in Arbitrary Detention,” February 2, 20094
- “More than 500 Chinese Lawyers Sign Petition against Colleague’s Jail Sentence,” February 2, 2009
- “Violent Assaults on Rights Defense Lawyers Must Stop,” March 7, 2008
- “Zheng Enchong Detained and Beaten Again,” February 20, 2008
- “Chinese Government Must Listen to Voices of the People,” October 9, 2007
- “Rule of Law Threatened by Extra-Legal Attacks against Lawyer,” October 1, 2007
For more information on calls for direct election of the Beijing Lawyers Association, see:
- “Beijing Law Firm Yitong is Shut Down for Six Months; Staff Lawyers Ordered to Turn in Licenses,” March 18, 2009
- “Beijing Lawyers Association Violates Its Own Rule in Removing Independent Candidates from Election of Representatives,” March 6, 2009
- “Beijing Law Firm Faces Six-Month Shutdown for Attorneys’ Support of Direct Bar Election,” February 19, 2009
- “Lawyers Are Dismissed by Firms for Supporting Beijing Lawyers Association Direct Election, Law Firms Are Threatened,” October 31, 2008
- Appeal for direct election issued by 35 Beijing lawyers (English translation by Human Rights in China), August 26, 2008
- “Stern Statement,” by the Beijing Bar Association (English translation by Human Rights in China), September 5, 2008