Excerpted from Guardian:
The US-based group Human Rights in China (HRIC) accused the authorities of "an all-out attack" on rights lawyers.
"This suppression will inevitably lead to grave consequences for society, creating greater disadvantages for already persecuted groups and greater social instability," said HRIC executive director Sharon Hom.
The recent moves come on top of existing pressures on rights defenders, who have repeatedly experienced harassment and physical violence in their work.
In April, Yang Zaixin, from Guangxi province, was beaten by thugs as he helped peasants challenging illegal land seizure by the government.
HRIC alleges that Cheng Hai was savagely beaten in April by government workers while working in Chengdu, and that last month Zhang Kai and Li Chunfu were beaten by policemen in Chongqing.
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For more information on harassment of rights defense lawyers, see:
- “Chinese Rights Defense Lawyers Under All-out Attack by the Authorities,” June 4, 2009
- “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, 2009
- “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