Authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan are investigating a prominent rights attorney recently hired to represent one of 12
Authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan are investigating a prominent rights attorney recently hired to represent one of 12 Hongkongers detained in Shenzhen after trying to flee to democratic Taiwan. Lu Siwei, who has spoken out after being repeatedly denied access to his client in Shenzhen’s Yantian Detention Center, has been ordered by the local judicial affairs bureau to submit details of recent cases for “review.” Lawyers in China must pass an annual inspection to renew their licenses, a process that is increasingly being used by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to strike off attorneys who take politically sensitive cases. Lu’s Sichuan Jinqi law firm received a notice from the Qingyang District judicial affairs bureau on Nov.3, calling on it to submit details of all cases represented by him for “inspection and review.” A person familiar with the situation who did not wish to be identified, told RFA that the request was linked to Lu’s representation of one of the Hong Kong 12. Authorities in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen have issued a ban on lawyers appointed by the families of 12 Hong Kong activists detained by the China Coast Guard on Aug.23 and currently being held on suspicion of “illegally crossing a border,” in the city’s Yantian Detention Center.
