Preface: With the escalating crackdown on China’s human rights lawyers in recent years, the authorities have developed increasingly sophisticated means for repressing attorneys who take on politically sensitive cases. Instances of prolonged detention without trial, trial without judgment, or secret trial have become increasingly common. In cases when lawyers are allowed to intervene, they are required to promise not to accept interviews from the media, and to sign confidentiality agreements before reviewing case documents. Prior to court hearings, lawyers are again required to enter another set of confidentiality agreements that prevents disclosure of case proceedings and defense arguments. When a case is closed, lawyers are prohibited from revealing the verdict. At the same time, authorities surveil or abduct lawyers’ family members to prevent them from attending hearings. Taken together, these measures have resulted in scarce information about human rights cases, making it harder for the outside world to know the details of those cases, and thus hindering effective efforts by the international community to render support. During the process of compiling and completing this article, human rights lawyer Lu Siwei was arrested on July 28 while transiting through Laos to the U.S. to reunite with his family. Despite numerous calls from human rights organizations and international governments for the release of Lu, there has been little news regarding him up to the present.
Lawyers are forced to make promises and sign confidentiality agreements, making it difficult for the international community to gather accurate information. @ChinaChange_org and The 29 Principles will be bringing you a series covering important cases. https://t.co/jLFXfpbDF9 pic.twitter.com/jNOqQ02yO7
— The 29 Principles (@the29principles) September 4, 2023
1. Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi were separately sentenced to 14 years and 12 years in prison on charges of subverting state power.
On April 10, 2023, New Citizen Movement leaders Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi were sentenced to 14 years and 12 years in prison, respectively, by the Intermediate People’s Court of Linyi City in Shandong Province, on charges of “subverting state power” for their participation in gatherings in Xiamen, Fujian in 2019, and Yantai, Shandong in 2018.
Commentary: In their published court statements, Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi responded to the sentencing with optimism for China’s future. Upon the court sentencing, Families stated that the severe sentences imposed on Ding and Xu, solely for discussing civil society issues in indoor gatherings, are acts of judicial tyranny, and that the authorities intended to create and reinforce a state of fear in Chinese society. In reality, the authorities who rely on terror are themselves full of fear: they dare not even release the verdicts for fear that their ideas will inspire others, they hope to erase all references to Xu and Ding.
On the #InternationalDayoftheDisappeared, we must recognize the case of lawyer #GaoZhisheng, who has been missing for 6 yrs. The PRC must disclose the whereabouts of Gao and cease the use of RSDL (Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location) against human rights lawyers. pic.twitter.com/aBSG30okV1
— The 29 Principles (@the29principles) August 30, 2023
2. Jiang Tianyong, Ding Jiaxi, and Chow Hang-tung received prestigious international awards; Chen Zijuan, wife of Chang Weiping, and Zhou Shifeng received awards that were awarded in previous years but which they had been unable to collect.
On November 3, 2022, lawyer Jiang Tianyong (???) was awarded the 2022 International Bar Association (IBA) Award for Outstanding Contribution to Human Rights. IBA President Sternford Moyo said: “I hope that he will continue to inspire others in the global legal community to remain steadfast in the promotion and protection of these rights and the rule of law.”
On December 20 2022, Ms. Zhang Miao (??), on behalf of Zhou Shifeng , the director of Beijing Fengrui Law Firm who was released from prison in September 2022 after serving a 7-year term, collected the 2015 CCBE Human Rights Award for Fengrui.
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https://www.ucanews.com/news/rights-forum-urges-laos-to-free-detained-chinese-lawyer/102423
https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-will-hunt-you-down-4bfaaf79
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/outcry-after-china-critic-is-arrested-in-laos-89kr9jk78
https://www.lawsociety.ie/gazette/top-stories/2023/august/continued-erosion-of-freedoms-in-hong-kong
https://29principles.uk/zh-hant/es (MANDARIN)
