Today marks the sixth year of Chinese human rights lawyer Li Yuhan’s arbitrary detention, who first went missing on 9 October 2017. In an official communication (AL CHN 11/2023) issued in July 2023, Special Rapporteurs and the Working Group of the UN Human Rights Office expressed serious concerns about Li Yuhan’s arbitrary detention and mistreatment in China. Li Yuhan, a lawyer in her seventies, has represented human rights lawyers and victims of human rights abuses. A confidentiality period of 60 days was allotted to allow the Chinese Government sufficient time to respond, however, China failed to respond in the given time period.
?#Endangeredlawyer | Following recent news confirming the forced repatriation of Chinese lawyer Lu Siwei, the CCBE calls on the Chinese authorities to promptly release him. The CCBE initially requested his release in August.?https://t.co/ELYE8SHHks https://t.co/pvGQ7gF3wj pic.twitter.com/tS5XPbXTVK
— CCBE (@CCBEinfo) October 5, 2023
Li Yuhan faces charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” and “fraud”. Her trial was also repeatedly postponed. After undergoing a secret trial in October 2021 – almost 1,500 days or four years after her initial detention – no verdict has been issued. This delay is in clear violation of Chinese Criminal Procedure Law, which stipulates under Section 208 that a verdict should be rendered within three months at most. As it stands, nearly 700 days have elapsed. Li Yuhan’s right to a timely criminal process and the right to an appeal have been violated.
In October 2022, when Li Yuhan met with her lawyer, it was revealed that her ability to walk had been severely affected due to significant injuries to her knees, necessitating the use of two crutches. She also suffers from cardiovascular issues, high blood pressure and significant deterioration in both vision and hearing. It was further disclosed that medication, food and warm water were deliberately withheld at the detention center, and that officers had urinated on her food, a clear violation of China’s obligations under Article 12(1) of the ICESCR, which stipulates China’s duty to fulfil the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Conditions improved only after multiple complaints were lodged by Li Yuhan’s lawyer.
During her years as a human rights lawyer, Li Yuhan faced frequent reprisals from Chinese authorities due to her defence of sensitive cases involving freedom of religion, such as Falun Gong and Christian house churches. She also served as the legal representative for Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Yu during the “709 Crackdown”. These reprisals include threats to her family, verbal harassment, violence, and personal attacks.
These instances mentioned above highlight a trend of repression against human rights lawyers in China, and calls for urgent action to address these grave human rights concerns. Therefore we urge the Chinese government to:
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Urgent Call for the Release and Adequate Treatment of Chinese Rights Lawyer Li Yuhan
