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Chinese Lawyers’ Statement on Respecting and Protecting Lawyers’ Right to Practice

February 1, 2018

The Chinese authorities have persecuted human rights lawyers and human rights defenders who were taken into custody in the 709 Crackdown by putting them under “residential surveillance at a designated place,” which is secret detention in disguise, refusing to let lawyers retained by their families to meet with them or attend court hearings, and violating the principle of presumption of innocence in forcing them to confess on TV before trial. The authorities then turned to the detained 709 lawyers’ own defense lawyers and other rights defense lawyers, revoking their practice licenses, and even arresting them on suspicion of “subversion of state power.” In light of this situation, Liu Wei, Teng Biao, Liu Shihui, and other lawyers have started a signature campaign, calling on judicial authorities to respect and protect lawyers’ right to practice as well as their basic human rights as citizens, and immediately release the lawyers who are illegally detained.


中国律师关于尊重和保障律师执业权利的声明
刘巍、滕彪、刘士辉

2015年7月9日,针对中国人权律师和人权捍卫者的“709大抓捕”中,办案部门使用指定居所监视居住变相秘密关押、拒绝家属聘请的律师会见和出席庭审、违反无罪推定原则在开庭之前做电视认罪式的媒体审判的方式,运动式打压律师,引起了国内一片恐慌和反弹,也遭到了国际社会的普遍谴责。

709大抓捕的教训深刻,本是主政者反思律师对法治的价值以及修正社会管理方式的良机,然而,时至今日,动辄抓捕律师,尤其动辄注销、吊照律师执照,侵害律师执业权和就业权之事仍时有发生,在近期亦有愈演愈烈之势。

2018年1月15日,709案王全璋律师的辩护人余文生律师被北京市司法局注销执业证。1月19日上午,余律师在送孩子上学途中被北京石景山公安以妨害公务刑事拘留。1月27日被徐州市公安局以涉嫌煽动颠覆国家政权罪指定居所监视居住。

2018年1月22日,709案受害律师隋牧青收到广东省司法厅《行政处罚预先告知书》,被告知拟吊销其律师执业证。经隋律师申请,定于2月3日在广东省司法厅对此听证。

2017年12月,云南王理乾、王龙德律师被吊销律师执业证。

2017年12月,浙江律师吴有水因发表的公开言论被停止执业九个月。

2017年10月,709案辩护律师李昱函以涉嫌寻衅滋事,关押于沈阳市看守所。

2017年9月,王江峰案辩护律师祝圣武因微博言论被吊销律师执业证。

2017年,上海彭永和律师因不满上海市律协长期不为律师维权,声明退出。目前面临被注销律师执照的险境。

……

律师是法治中国的重要组成部分,律师之痛即是法治之痛,也是权利和秩序之痛。一个有序、理性和稳定的现代化国家的建设,离不开律师的积极参与。而一个以律师为敌的社会,将注定与混乱和动荡为伍,文革式悲剧随时可能重现。

为此,我们强烈呼吁司法部门回归文明和理性的轨道,立即释放被非法关押的律师,尊重和保障律师执业权及其作为公民的基本人权,重新检视近期一系列注销、吊销律师执照的决定,正确解决社会管理中出现的新问题,不人为刻意制造对立和矛盾,合力推动法治的进步和成熟。

联署邮箱:lvshilianshu@gmail.com

联署人:刘巍
    滕彪
    刘士辉
    ……

2018年2月1日