Dear Friends,
We are forwarding for your attention a statement by the defense counsels of the “709 crackdown” cases which is cosigned by a total of 55 legal professionals from across the country in China. Entitled Chinese Lawyers’ Joint Declaration on the Authority’s Unlawful Denial of Defence Lawyers for the “709 Crackdown” Cases, the statement highlights the legal irregularities involved in the authority’s moves to forcibly deprive the detainees of their right to access to legal representation of their/ their family’s own choosing.
FYI, as of today, 24 individuals are under formal arrest for the 9 July (2015) crackdown, with 9 being human rights lawyers , 2 legal assistants and 13 human rights defenders/ legal activists.
10 out of the 24 are accused of “subverting state power” with 6 being rights lawyers; and 5 out the 24 are accused of “inciting state power” with 5 being rights lawyers.
None of the above rights lawyers, all being in detention for about 10 months, has access to counsels of their choice. Instead, most of the family members and the defence counsels are facing constant harassment, warning and intimidation from the authorities.
Contacts for enquiry can be found at the bottom of the page.
Thank you for your attention.
Regards,
The China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group
Telephone: +852 2388 1377
Fax: +852 2388 7270
Website: http://www.chrlawyers.hk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrlcg
Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrlcg/
