Nine years after a nationwide operation targeting rights attorneys, their lives have yet to return to normal.

By Chen Zifei | Published by Radio Free Asia (Mandarin)

Summary

On the 9th anniversary of the roundup of more than 300 human rights lawyers and activists in the days following July 9, 2015, the situation for China’s human rights lawyers remains dire. Now, the scope of government action is extending to Hong Kong.

The Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group (CHRLCG), and more than 60 other rights organizations, have issued a statement highlighting the ongoing persecution of lawyers who defend civil society and hold the government accountable.

The statement marks the anniversary of the July 9, 2015 crackdown, during which more than 300 rights lawyers, law firm staff, and activists were arrested, detained, or harassed. Since then, the authorities have continued their efforts to silence these lawyers, revoking their business licenses and imposing lengthy jail terms for charges such as “subversion.”

In Hong Kong, rights lawyers like Chow Hang-tung, Albert Ho, and Margaret Ng are facing “national security” charges, raising concerns that the city is following a similar path to mainland China in terms of suppressing dissent and undermining judicial independence.

The impact of the crackdown on the lives of lawyers and their families has been profound. Wang Quanzhang, a rights lawyer, described how his career was interrupted and his family’s life distorted by constant harassment, forced evictions, and the denial of educational opportunities for his children.

Rights lawyers in China have represented a wide range of marginalized groups, including Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hong Kongers, religious minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, feminists, journalists, and political dissidents. However, they have increasingly been replaced in the criminal justice system by government-appointed lawyers who are restricted from speaking to the media.

The CHRLCG statement also highlights the vulnerability of rights lawyers to torture during detention. Meanwhile, the government’s use of exit bans to prevent lawyers and activists from leaving the country is on the rise.

Chinese human rights lawyer Yu Pinjian said the point of marking the 2015 crackdown every year on July 9 was to acknowledge the great cost paid by rights lawyers and their families in their efforts to uphold the rule of law and defend human rights in China.

“The July 9, 2015, incident tore away the veil so people could see the totalitarian government for what it is,” Yu said.

Read the original, full-text version of this report here.

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