In the Press - Chinese Human Rights DefendersChinese Human Rights Defenders

Wife of detained Chinese human rights lawyer tries to sue lawyer appointed by authorities

October 27, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by Hong Kong Free Press on October 24, 2016 A Tianjin court held a hearing on Friday to decide whether the wife of a detained human rights lawyer will be able to sue a government-appointed lawyer representing her husband. Yuan Shanshan, the wife of Xie Yanyi, who was detained as part of (read more…)

How the party’s absolute power undermines its efforts to strengthen China’s rule of law

October 20, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by SCMP on October 19, 2016 When their decades-long efforts failed to stamp out rampant corruption even among anti-graft investigators and get law enforcers to actually abide by the law, China’s communist leadership should have understood that behind such crises lies not a failure of governance but rather the (read more…)

Still no answers a year after bookseller Gui Minhai’s disappearance

October 19, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by Hong Kong Free Press on October 17, 2016 A year after publisher Gui Minhai disappeared from his holiday home in Thailand only to reappear in custody in mainland China, Swedish authorities say they are continuing to work towards a solution. Gui was a co-owner of Causeway Bay Books and (read more…)

China verurteilt Bürgerrechtsanwalt zu zwölf Jahren Haft

October 5, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by Spiegel Online on September 22, 2016 Die größte Verfolgungswelle seit Jahren in China dauert fort: Ein Gericht in Peking hat den Bürgerrechtsanwalt Xia Lin zu zwölf Jahren Gefängnis verurteilt. Der 46-Jährige ist wegen Betrugs schuldig gesprochen worden, teilte sein Anwalt Wang Zhenyu mit. Menschenrechtler kritisierten das Urteil: Xia (read more…)

Chinese lawyers sign petition against ‘draconian’ new rules preventing them from ‘pressuring’ court

October 5, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by Hong Kong Free Press on October 5, 2016 110 lawyers have signed a petition calling upon China to rescind amendments to its Administrative Measures for Law Firms, a measure rumoured to be rolling out on November 1, according to Canyu, a Chinese human rights website. The amendments will mean that law firms cannot (read more…)

Chinese Lawyers Who Highlight Abuse of Clients To Lose Jobs Under New Rules

October 5, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by Radio Free Asia on October 3, 2016 Rights activists and lawyers have hit out at new regulations brought in by the ruling Chinese Communist Party placing further restrictions on lawyers’ ability to protest abuses of judicial power. An amended set of the Ministry of Justice’s “Administrative Measures for Law (read more…)

Rule by Law or Power? Lawyer’s Conviction Stirs Online Debate in China

October 5, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by Voice of America on September 23, 2016 A harsh 12-year sentence handed down Thursday by a Chinese court against prominent civil rights lawyer Xia Lin is stirring a heated debate online about the rule of law in China, and whether the case shows an abuse of legal procedure. (read more…)

China’s Human Rights Plan: A ‘Triumph of Form over Substance’

October 5, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by The News Lens on September 30, 2016 The announcement of China’s new human rights action plan has not impressed some in the international community who say the country has a record of failing to deliver on its commitments to key civil and political rights. China’s State Council Information Office (read more…)

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s lawyer sentenced to 12 years for fraud

September 25, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by CNN on September 24, 2016 (CNN)A lawyer for the renowned Chinese artist and government critic Ai Weiwei was sentenced to 12 years jail on Thursday, in a case his supporters say was politically motivated. Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court found Xia Lin guilty of almost 10 million (read more…)

China jails prominent rights lawyer for 12 years

September 25, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by Reuters on September 22, 2016 A Chinese court on Thursday jailed a prominent civil rights lawyer for 12 years on fraud charges, his lawyer said, a punishment rights advocates called retaliation for his defence of high-profile clients who had challenged the government. Xia Lin, detained by Beijing police (read more…)

China’s 12-Year Sentence for Ai Weiwei’s Lawyer

September 25, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by The Atlantic on September 22, 2016 Xia Lin, a human-rights lawyer whose clients include Ai Weiwei, the famed Chinese dissident, was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Beijing court Thursday on fraud charges, the BBC reports. The 46-year-old, known for defending human-rights activists, was first detained (read more…)

China impone la condena más dura a un abogado de derechos humanos

September 25, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by EL PAIS on September 22, 2016 El abogado defensor de los derechos humanos Xia Lin, célebre por haber representado al artista Ai Weiwei y a otros destacados activistas, recibió este jueves en Pekín una sentencia de 12 años de cárcel, en un nuevo y duro golpe del régimen (read more…)