Chinese authorities threatened to end the career of two lawyers who helped 12 activists who tried to flee Hong Kong to Taiwan last August, 10 of whom were sentenced to prison by a Chinese court last week.
Ren Quanniu – who also represented Wuhan citizen journalist Zhang Zhan – and Lu Siwei received notifications from local justice departments on Monday that authorities intended to revoke their licenses and they had three days to arrange a defense hearing.
Accusing each of them of violating the regulations, the authorities cited the way Ren handled a 2018 case related to Falun Gong practitioners, and said that Lu made “inappropriate comments on the internet”. Lawyers believe they are being targeted for their recent work.
In a statement, Ren said his office was raided on Monday by more than a dozen masked individuals who claim to be from Henan’s justice department. He dismissed the charges as “blatant set-up” and professional harassment, and demanded that the authorities withdraw the action and apologize.
Lu, whose social media accounts were blocked, accused the authorities of abusing his power and said he would organize a hearing. He asked employees to build a better relationship with lawyers, or they “would certainly be throwing a rock at their feet.”
The Hong Kong defendants’ families, observing the moment, said that the disciplinary action against Ren and Lu was “obviously revenge” and designed to intimidate others.
“Because of their boldness to go against the constituted powers and persistence in defending the rights of the ’12’, the authorities have resorted to ending their professional careers and cutting off their livelihoods,” they said in a note.
“Chinese officials are using the Lu and Ren case as an example to threaten other human rights lawyers, so that no one else would dare to participate in politically sensitive cases. Thus, the last obstacle that prevents Chinese authorities from pursuing dissidents at will, using the law as an excuse, is removed. “
The high-profile convictions of Zheng and the people of Hong Kong attracted international condemnation and illuminated China’s notoriously opaque legal system, which routinely has conviction rates of around 99% and is often used against dissidents and human rights lawyers.
Zhang was arrested for “provoking fights and causing problems” because of his reports from the city of Wuhan during the 76-day blockade last year. She was restrained and forcibly fed into detention after going on a hunger strike and maintained her innocence, her lawyer said. She was sentenced to four years in prison.
The 10 Hong Kong residents were among a group of 12 detained by the Guangdong coast guard in August while trying to escape by boat to Taiwan. They were held incommunicado in a Shenzhen detention center and were denied access to lawyers hired by their families, including Ren and Lu.
Last week, two of the group’s minors were returned to Hong Kong custody while the other 10 were sentenced to seven months to three years in prison.
The Defense Group of Human Rights Lawyers in China called for an immediate reversal of the planned repeals.
“In the process of promoting the rule of law, human rights lawyers speak for the basis of society and the cases they represent are in accordance with moral and legal principles, but often become the target of retaliation by official departments”, said .
Chinese authorities have a history of targeting human rights lawyers, including the mass capture and interrogation of some 250 in 2015, some of whom remain in detention or have been detained again. Last month, a court refused to hear an appeal against the four-year sentence of a lawyer, Yu Wensheng, who had publicly called for constitutional reforms, including elections with multiple candidates.