China Cracks Down on Human Rights Attorneys
June 17, 2009
Posted by
The Voice of the Martyrs
Categories
China (MNN) ? China is cracking down on attorneys who defend human rights and religious freedom. It recently declined to renew the licenses of 21 attorneys, forcing them to discontinue practicing law.
"Some were even beat up," said Bob Fu, president and founder of China Aid Association. "
Some were kidnapped; more were harassed, including two attorneys who traveled to Guangxi province in May. They were even handcuffed when they were meeting their clients, and they were held in a police station."
Three of the attorneys have called China Aid and requested support from the international community. This is a step they don't normally take, Fu explained.
"They usually tried every way to walk a fine line within the framework of the Chinese law, but this time after many of their colleagues were beaten and lost their license, they said the Chinese government already broke the bottom line by forcing them to fight to survive to earn a living," he said.
Many of these attorneys have been working with China Aid to protect religious freedom in China.
Please read the full article here.