On the 9th anniversary of the ‘709 crackdown’ on China’s civil rights champions in 2015, a new release looks at its impact on persecuted lawyers, their families, and the rule of law.

By Lisa Peryman | Special to Probe International

Available now on YouTube here via The 29 Principles (a U.K.-based organisation supporting lawyers facing human rights oppression).

A collection of interviews with some of the human rights lawyers and their families directly affected by the nationwide “709 crackdown” that began on July 9, 2015 is a portrait of resilience and dedication to the China that could be.

In the nine years since the mass arrests of 2015, the accounts of post-709 survival the lawyers and their spouses share are grim and could be taken as warnings to not step out of line. The cost was and continues to be steep: the loss of licenses to practice, exit bans on leaving China, family members separated from each other, children not able to attend school, no stable place to live and ongoing threats from eviction.

Although all of the “709 lawyers” were eventually released, some have been re-arrested, such as Xie Yang and Yu Wensheng.

There is at least some payback or, as 709 lawyer and former director of Beijing Fengrui Law firm, Zhou Shifeng, puts it: a sense of the “higher law that rules the cosmos.” He is referring to the legal battles instigators of the crackdown have since faced. The most high-profile of these is Sun Lijun, the former politician and police officer, who was sentenced to death for bribery and corruption (his sentence was commuted to life in prison with no possibility of parole).

An overarching sense of the bigger picture prevails throughout “709: Nine Years On,” somehow recorded mostly from within China — an impressive feat in and of itself.

Li Jinxing (also Wu Lei), a former criminal defense lawyer in China, now based in Tokyo, sums up the 709 journey through the lens of history, the love of country, and the simple demand that the government observe their own rule of law:

What we’ve often debated in the courtroom is a matter of black and white. Sometimes our court is not a court of fairness and justice, but plays an unjust role and becomes an important tool for human rights abuse. It is under such conditions that the Chinese criminal defense lawyers and human rights lawyers have fought tirelessly to save what little rule of law China has and to protect the fruit of decades of reform and opening up. But unfortunately, merely for defending the rights of our clients according to the law, lawyers have been treated as a hostile force and a target of persecution. I hope friends around the world will pay attention to China’s criminal defense lawyers and human rights lawyers, and use them as a window to observe China’s rule of law progress. ~ Li Jinxing (Wu Lei)

What is most striking from one speaker to the next is an attitude of gratitude. As interviewees recount the great hurdles and punishments imposed on them by the Communist regime, they are thankful for the support and encouragement they have received in messages online. In the face of every reason for cynicism and despair, it prompts the viewer to wonder if perhaps there is a higher law at work.

709: Nine Years On [The 8th China Human Rights Lawyers Day | 2024.07.09]| A project by The 29 Principles, Humanitarian China, China Change, China Aid, and New School for Democracy.

In order of appearance: Zhou Shifeng | Wang Quanzhang | Chen Guiqiu | Jiang Tianyong | Wang Yu | Li Wenzu & Wang Qiaoling | Xie Yanyi | Li Jinxing (Wu Lei)

Further Reading

The 9th anniversary of 709 Crackdown on human rights lawyers and defenders: ten notable events over the past year

China’s quixotic lawyers take on the Communist party

China must free activists who championed environment and the rule of law