Second lawyer barred after defending Hong Kong democracy activist
A second Chinese lawyer has misplaced his licence after defending a Hong Kong democracy activist charged with illegally leaving the territory.
Ren Quanniu, who represented one in every of 12 people caught attempting to flee Hong Kong to Taiwan by boat in August 2020, obtained a court docket discover on Tuesday revoking his proper to practise.
Lu Siwei, who was served alongside Ren on the case, had his licence stripped final month.
In Washington a spokesman for the state division, Ned Price, stated the US was “deeply concerned” concerning the disbarment of the 2 attorneys. “We urge Beijing to respect human rights and the rule of law and to reinstate their legal credentials at once.”
Ren obtained the discover from the Henan provincial division of justice after a listening to within the central province final Friday associated to a 2018 case when he represented a member of the Falun Gong, a non secular group banned in mainland China.
Authorities discovered Ren had “disrupted the normal order of criminal proceedings” and had been “severely damaging the image of the lawyer industry and causing a negative impact on society”.
Ren stated the accusations towards him had been “groundless”.
“If my licence could be revoked in such circumstances, I think China’s legal system is dead,” he stated.
“Lawyers should be clearly aware that referencing the law and facts in court may be dangerous in the future.”
Ren and Lu have each stated that representing the members of the so-called “Hong Kong 12” was the trigger that stripped them of the right to practise.
The 12 activists tried to flee after China imposed a sweeping nationwide safety regulation on Hong Kong.
Some on the boat already confronted prosecution for alleged crimes linked to the pro-democracy protests of 2019.
“Persecuted activists and critics of the government are unlikely to find any lawyers to defend their legal rights these days,” stated the NGO coalition Chinese Human Rights Defenders.
“Human rights lawyers [in China] face renewed zeal by authorities to debar them.”
More than a dozen Chinese rights attorneys have had their licences cancelled or revoked lately in what activists have stated is an efficient silencing by authorities.
Both attorneys confronted difficulties reaching their shoppers within the Hong Kong 12 case and authorities didn’t recognise their appointment by households of the defendants.
