Tag Archives: Taiwan

CHINA: RELEASE RIGHTS LAWYER GAO ZHISHENG AND END THE PRACTICE OF ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES 

11/08/23

International organizations are calling for the release of Gao Zhisheng, a world-renowned human rights lawyer.

Gao defended house church Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, and other minorities from the clutches of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Unfortunately, his activism put a target on his back. No one has seen or heard from him in six years.

FORCED DISAPPEARANCE

Many human rights lawyers and other oppressed groups are “forcibly disappeared” like Gao. The Communist Regime does not notify their families of the confinement and keeps their well-being hidden or obscure. Meanwhile, authorities brutally torture the imprisoned human rights lawyers in secret.

Today, other human rights groups signed an open letter, calling upon the CCP to release Gao Zhisheng and to stop the practice of forced disappearance. ChinaAid signed the statement as well. 

***

We, the undersigned organizations, call on the Chinese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release prominent human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng (高智晟) ahead of the sixth anniversary of his disappearance on August 13. 

And as we near “The International Day of the Disappeared” on August 30, we also condemn the Chinese government’s use of enforced disappearances as a tactic to silence and control activists, religious practitioners, Uyghurs and Tibetans, and even high-profile celebrities, entrepreneurs, and government officials.

GAO ZHISHENG: DISAPPEARED FOR THE SIXTH YEAR

Gao Zhisheng was one of the first human rights lawyers to emerge in the early 2000s and he became an important leader of China’s rights defense movement. He took on cases to help migrant workers and defend spiritual practitioners, including Falun Gong adherents and Christians. Gao wrote open letters to China’s top political leadership to call attention to the plight of Falun Gong practitioners and the abuse he had suffered while defending them. 

In 2006, Gao was sentenced to three years in prison on the charge of “inciting subversion of state power,” and after being released on parole, he was repeatedly disappeared for extended periods and tortured by police between 2007 and 2011. In December 2011, state media reported that Gao had been imprisoned in the Uyghur region to serve out his sentence after violating terms of his parole. He was then released in 2014 but remained under house arrest.

Gao’s relatives in China, as well as fellow rights lawyers and activists, who previously remained in contact with him, have not heard from him since August 13, 2017. Ever since then, Chinese authorities have, implausibly, claimed that Gao is not under any “criminal coercive measures.”   

Over the past six years, Gao has effectively remained in a state of enforced disappearance. 

[…]

https://chinaaid.org/uncensored-news/stories-by-issue/rule-of-law/after-six-years-of-silence-organizations-call-for-the-release-of-gao-zhisheng/

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/08/lao-must-immediately-release-chinese-lawyer-lu-siwei-and-prevent-his

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4969657

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/08/11/china-human-rights-lawyer-detained-laos/

https://www.uscirf.gov/religious-prisoners-conscience/forb-victims-database/gao-zhisheng

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gao_Zhisheng

https://www.rfi.fr/tw/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B/20230812-%E5%8F%B0%E7%81%A3%E7%AB%8B%E6%B3%95%E9%99%A2%E9%95%B7%E5%92%8C%E8%81%AF%E5%90%88%E5%9C%8B-7%E4%BD%8D%E4%BA%BA%E6%AC%8A%E5%B0%88%E5%AE%B6%E8%81%B2%E6%8F%B4%E8%A2%AB%E6%89%A3%E5%BE%8B%E5%B8%AB%E7%9B%A7%E6%80%9D%E4%BD%8D-%E4%BF%83%E8%80%81%E6%92%BE%E6%94%BE%E4%BA%BA (TRADITIONAL CHINESE)

https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/3-08112023113316.html (MANDARIN)

https://www.voachinese.com/a/exclusive-interview-with-geng-he-wife-of-missing-rights-lawyer-gao-zhisheng-20230813/7223033.html (SIMPLIFIED CHINESE)

https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2023/08/11/le-laos-accuse-de-detenir-un-dissident-chinois-pour-le-compte-de-pekin_6185142_3210.html (FRANCAIS)

https://www.rfi.fr/fr/asie-pacifique/20230810-de-nombreuses-voix-s-%C3%A9l%C3%A8vent-pour-la-lib%C3%A9ration-imm%C3%A9diate-d-un-c%C3%A9l%C3%A8bre-avocat-chinois

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gao_Zhisheng

https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2023/08/11/expertos-onu-piden-a-laos-que-no-deporte-a-china-al-abogado-de-derechos-humanos-lu-siwei/ (ESPANOL)

Interview: Human Rights Lawyer Ewelina U. Ochab on Fighting for Afghanistan’s Women Judges, Lawyers

27/04/23

Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab is a lawyer, human rights advocate, and author, as well as a co-founder of the Coalition for Genocide Response. She has collaborated with international and domestic partners to provide legal assistance to women at risk in Afghanistan and has been involved in evacuating 103 women at risk from the country. In March 2023, Dr. Ochab joined the international campaign “End Gender Apartheid” to raise awareness about gender apartheid against women and girls in Afghanistan and Iran. Additionally, she is the lead author of the Hazara Inquiry report, a joint effort of cross-party Parliamentarians from both Houses and experts working together to uncover atrocities and promote justice for the Hazara people in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Dr. Ochab’s work primarily focuses on the topic of genocide, particularly the persecution of minorities worldwide.

Maryam — a pseudonym for a women’s rights activist and JURIST contributor based in Afghanistan, who has requested to remain anonymous due to fears for her safety — interviewed Dr. Ochab to discuss her involvement in helping female judges flee Afghanistan and the legal assistance she provided to them.

How many female Afghan judges have been relocated to the UK through your efforts?

Through our collaborative initiative involving the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, led by Baroness Kennedy KC, Emily Foale, and myself, we successfully evacuated seven female Afghan judges to the UK. In total, we evacuated 103 at-risk women and their family members, amounting to approximately 500 individuals. The majority were resettled in Canada, with others in Australia, Ireland, Germany, and a few other countries.

What type of work are relocated Afghan women judges pursuing in the UK? Is it possible for them to have a legal career in the UK?

In the UK, these relocated judges are receiving support to help them find their footing in the local legal profession. Breaking Barriers, for example, is one organization offering crucial assistance. They help with language learning, CV writing, interview preparation, and training in various transferable skills.

Some of these judges have already joined law firms or are pursuing further law degrees. They’re also actively engaging with the UK Parliament and Government on behalf of women in the legal profession who were left behind. This involvement has included attending parliamentary briefings and meetings, even at the prestigious Number 10.

[…]

https://www.jurist.org/features/2023/04/27/interview-human-rights-lawyer-ewelina-u-ochab-on-fighting-for-afghanistans-women-judges-lawyers/

https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/04/26/afghanistan-special-envoys-should-hold-firm-line-rights

https://www.jurist.org/commentary/2023/04/why-should-we-leave/

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2023/04/26/i-am-trying-to-find-peace-an-afghan-judge-who-fled-the-taliban-starts-life-over-in-canada.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/asia/south-asia/afghanistan-female-judge-taliban-arap-b2303037.html

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/taliban-afghanistan-canada-embassy-immigration-1.6816925

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2023/04/22/hiding-with-targets-on-their-back-afghans-who-served-canada-are-now-taking-it-to-court.html

https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/alliance-human-rights-afghanistan-joint-statement-afghanistan-taliban-de-facto-authorities-must-end-chilling-crackdown-dissent

https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/04/1135622

https://www.jrf.org.tw/articles/2440 (MANDARIN)

Announcing the 6th China Human Rights Lawyers Day

16/06/22

The sixth annual China Human Rights Lawyers Day will be held virtually on July 9, 2022, at 9 a.m. EST (U.S.).

In 2017, human rights organizations in the U.S., Taiwan, and Hong Kong established July 9th as the China Human Rights Lawyers day to commemorate the mass arrests, detention, and torture of human rights lawyers in mainland China that began on July 9, 2015. Since then, the Chinese authorities have continued to imprison and torture lawyers who dare take on politically sensitive cases, while preventing others from engaging in their legal practice. In the last few years, more than 40 Chinese human rights lawyers have had their licenses suspended or permanently revoked. With far-reaching consequences, the authorities have been successful in suppressing these independent defenders of dissidents, religious believers, activists, and others who fall afoul of the Party-state.

The China Human Rights Lawyers Day was created to support Chinese lawyers by bringing their plight to the attention of the international legal community, human rights organizations, and other concerned groups and individuals. While politicians, stakeholders, and multinational corporations fear the Chinese Communist Party and even aid and abet it in undermining and corrupting liberal values and the international liberal order, Chinese human rights lawyers have been working every day on the front lines of the fight against human rights abuses by an authoritarian government, upholding the rule of law in a country where there is none. The price they have paid is huge, but without regret. The world has come to a crossroads where democratic countries are beginning to recognize and confront the dangers of the totalitarian Chinese Communist regime. The meaning of the Day lies in that we must remember the tireless work of the Chinese human rights lawyers over the past two decades. We must therefore acknowledge them and support them, because their fate is tied to the belief in liberty and the rule of law that we cherish.

[…]

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3181703/veteran-chinese-human-rights-lawyers-expected-face-trial-soon

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3181515/chinas-party-congress-promotions-emphasise-political-security

https://thebl.com/china/hong-kong-chinese-regime-forces-foreign-teachers-to-swear-communist-loyalty-to-ccp.html

Colombia/UK etc: At risk for upholding the law: Day of the Endangered Lawyer

24/01/22

Lawyers are being arbitrarily arrested, prosecuted and convicted, as well as forcibly disappeared and even killed in countries across the world because of their work upholding the rule of law, the Law Society of England and Wales said to mark the day of the endangered lawyer on 24 January.

Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce said: “We honour the courage and commitment of lawyers around the world who put their lives at risk so that people’s rights are protected and those who violate them are held accountable.

“Today we think particularly of our colleagues in Afghanistan who helped build the justice system and bring stability to the country under the former government. Since the Taliban took power some have tragically been killed because of the work they did, a few managed to escape, but far too many are in hiding, at risk from not only the Taliban but also from terrorists and criminals they convicted since released from prison.

“The Law Society stands in solidarity with legal professionals around the world. We will continue to work to support them and to contribute to building strong, fair justice systems everywhere.”

https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/contact-or-visit-us/press-office/press-releases/at-risk-for-upholding-the-law

https://www.uianet.org/en/actions/12th-day-endangered-lawyer-focus-colombia

https://www.naiz.eus/en/info/noticia/20220124/colombia-entre-los-paises-mas-peligrosos-para-los-abogados (ESPANOL)

(FRANCAIS)

https://www.avocatparis.org/actualites/journee-internationale-de-lavocat-en-danger-en-colombie

https://protect-lawyers.org/es/colombia/

www.defendre.eu/pdf/RapportObservatoireCOLOMBIE240122.pdf

https://actu.fr/auvergne-rhone-alpes/lyon_69123/lyon-pourquoi-les-avocats-vont-ils-manifester-en-robe-devant-le-nouveau-palais-de-justice_48090635.html

https://lesaf.org/journee-de-lavocat-en-danger-mobilisons-nous-massivement-sur-les-reseaux-sociaux-le-24-janvier-a-11h-en-publiant-une-photo-de-vous-avec-le-protectcolombianlawyer/

(ITALIANO)

https://www.jrf.org.tw/articles/2208%E2%80%8B (MANDARIN)

https://www.icab.cat/ca/actualitat/noticies/noticia/Les-Comissions-de-Defensa-i-de-Justicia-Penal-Internacional-de-lICAB-sadhereixen-al-manifest-del-Dia-de-lAdvocacia-Amenacada-2022/ (CATALON)

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Six Years After Crackdown, China’s Rights Lawyers ‘Struggling to Exist’

08/07/21

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 211872919_10158840831019071_8791503036099970560_n.jpg

Six years after Beijing police raided the offices and key members of the now-defunct Beijing Fengrui law firm, rights attorneys Wang Yu and Wang Quanzhang say their profession no longer really exists in the wake of a prolonged crackdown by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The July 9, 2015 raid on Fengrui and the arrests of Wang Yu, Wang Quanzhang, and dozens of other rights attorneys, law firm staff, and associated activists launched a nationwide operation targeting the profession on an unprecedented scale.

Less than a decade later, attorneys who continue to take on cases deemed politically sensitive by the CCP can expect to lose their business licenses, which are subject to annual review, or are themselves detained, harassed, or sentenced to jail.

Wang Yu, who was honored by the U.S. as an International Woman of Courage (IWOC) this year, was once again held incommunicado in March after failing to attend an online award ceremony.

The award came as she and her husband Bao Longjun were assisting in the case of Niu Tengyu, who is currently serving a 14-year jail term for allegedly posting a photo of Xi Mingze, daughter of CCP general secretary Xi Jinping, to meme site Zhina Wiki, an act that was later blamed by police on Niu’s Vulgar Wiki.

She says there are still multiple restrictions on her daily life, despite having been released in the wake of the 2015 crackdown.

[…]

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/lawyers-07082021101655.html

https://www.hrichina.org/en/press-work/hric-bulletin/tribute-women-who-resist-sixth-anniversary-709-crackdown

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210708/p2g/00m/0na/059000c

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/709_crackdown

May be an image of 1 person and text that says "International Association o– People's Lowyers (LAPL): WE SUPPORT CHINESE HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYERS!"
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May be an image of 1 person, standing and text that says "Lawyers in the Netherlands support China's human rights lawyers! LAWYERS LAWYERS #ChinaHumanRightsLawyers #709Crackdown"

China: Announcing the 5th China Human Rights Lawyers Day; Calling for One-Person-One-Photo Messages

22/05/21

The fifth China Human Rights Lawyers Day will be held virtually on July 9, 2021.

The China Human Rights Lawyers Day was created on July 9, 2017 in acknowledgement of the tireless efforts of Chinese human rights lawyers in their struggle for justice and the rule of law. It commemorates the mass arrest of lawyers that occured on July 9, 2015, and celebrates the ideals, courage, and tenacity of human rights lawyers in China.

Most human rights lawyers are not famous, nor are they wealthy, but they have irrefutably stood out in the Chinese legal community, elevating the profession to a worthier height. Over the past two decades, they have represented clients in all aspects of human rights and public interest, including but not limited to freedom of speech, freedom of belief, political dissent, property rights, women’s rights, labor rights, minority rights, anti-discrimination, food safety, and redress of wrongful convictions and other grievances. Their clients are from all walks of Chinese society, including political dissidents, religious believers, human rights defenders, civil society activists, farmers who lost land to illegal appropriation, factory workers, NGO practitioners, private entrepreneurs, writers, journalists, ordinary netizens, street vendors, victims of miscarriage of justice, and even Chinese Communist Party officials who have become prisoners in the so-called anti-corruption campaign. Their clients are often either opponents of the authoritarian regime or those whose rights and dignity are trampled.

Human rights lawyers have performed their duties in the process of defending their clients under the law, but precisely because they take both the law and their duties seriously, they have been subject to increasingly strong hostility from the authorities. Since the emergence of the legal rights defense movement in the early 2000s, these lawyers have only faced worse repercussions for their work; many have been arrested and tortured, suspended and disbarred. But the mass arrests on July 9, 2015, marked the beginning of a broader persecution of human rights lawyers by the Chinese authorities. Dozens of human rights lawyers and their assistants were suddenly arrested and hundreds of lawyers were threatened across the country. The jailed lawyers were subjected to harrowing physical and mental abuse. They were deprived of legal representation, forcibly injected with unknown drugs, forced to make confessions. Over the past two decades, more than 70 human rights lawyers have been disbarred, and about 40 of them have had their licenses revoked or cancelled in the past five years. At least 50 human rights lawyers have been illegally barred from leaving the country.

Even though most of the 709 detainees have been released, imprisonment of human rights lawyers has not ceased. Today, 13 human rights lawyers remain in prison in China, and one has been missing for more than three years.

[…]

Announcing the 5th China Human Rights Lawyers Day; Calling for One-Person-One-Photo Messages

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/arrest-05202021094205.html

https://hk.appledaily.com/news/20210520/BFXNPRC7NRDDJA6KDW5FQRI4IA/

Ireland/Switzerland/Taiwan etc: Day of Endangered Lawyer focuses on Azerbaijan

21/01/21

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The 11th Day of the Endangered Lawyer which will be marked tomorrow, (22 January) focuses on Azerbaijan this year.

Protests and seminars will be organised in solidarity with human rights lawyers in Azerbaijan. 

The Day of the Endangered lawyer is normally commemorated each year on 24 January, which falls on Sunday this year.

[…]

Protests

Protests organised by local lawyer associations are planned worldwide outside embassies and consulates of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in compliance with public health guidelines.

petition supported by international, European and national lawyers‘ organizations will be presented to the respective embassies and sent to the Azerbaijan government.

Protests outside Azerbaijani embassies will be organised in Berlin and Rome and in Ankara and other Turkish cities. 

seminar  at 2pm today, organised by the Law Society of England and Wales, will be supported by Lawyers for Lawyers, DAV DeutscherAnwaltVerein, ELDH – the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights.

[…]

https://www.lawsociety.ie/gazette/top-stories/day-of-the-endangered-lawyer-focuses-on-azerbaijan/

https://www.uianet.org/en/news/invitation-webinar-day-endangered-lawyer

(FRANCAIS)

https://www.ordineavvocatitorino.it/node/143355 (ITALIANO)

May be an image of text that says "Día Idioma 米 Inglés Francés Italiano Español de la abogacía en riesgo 2021 AZERBAIYÁN 11° WEBINAR Lunes 25 de enero Co-organizado con: 18:00 19:30 ceT OBSERVATORIO INTERNACIONAL DE ABOGADOS protect-lawyers.com @ProtectLawyers @ProtectLawyers"

China/Taiwan: Groups urge support for lawyer

May 1, 2019

ERASED: Wang Quanzhang was arrested in a mass crackdown by Chinese authorities in July 2015 and has not been seen by his family since, despite being sentenced to jail

Human rights groups and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday called attention to imprisoned Chinese lawyer Wang Quanzhang (王全璋), saying that his family do not know if he is alive and that the Chinese government has blocked all information regarding his case.

“We ask for Taiwanese and the international community to support this cause, as we believe Wang has been tortured and mistreated in prison, and all requests by his family to visit him have been rejected,” Taiwan Support China Human Rights Lawyers Network convener Kuo Chi-jen (郭吉仁) said.

Wang was among more than 200 human rights activists and lawyers arrested in a mass crackdown by Chinese authorities on July 9, 2015, and was the last to go on trial.

A court in Tianjin, China, in January found him guilty of “subverting state power” and sentenced him to four years and six months in prison.

“The court conducted a secret trial, and Wang’s family and lawyer did not get to see him. Chinese authorities have imposed a total ban on any information about Wang and his case,” Kuo said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/05/01/2003714350

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/lawyer-taiwan-05012019104554.html

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/lawyer-taiwan-04252019132853.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-47024825

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Quanzhang

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/freed-lawyer-tang-jingling-vows-130629635.html

https://www.voachinese.com/a/TAIWAN-HUMAN-RIGHTS-GROUPS-ON-WANG-QUANZHANG-20190430/4897235.html (MANDARIN)

https://twitter.com/pandavoice007/status/1123582514323390464

China: China Slaps Travel Ban on Another Human Rights Lawyer

April 25, 2019

Beijing lawyer Cheng Hai, in file photo.

Chinese authorities have prevented another top human rights lawyer from leaving the country, as he tried to board a plane for the democratic island of Taiwan.

Cheng Hai was stopped by security guards at the Hefei XinqiaoInternational Airport in the eastern province of Anhui on Tuesday, as he went through security.

“Cheng Hai may endanger national security after leaving the country,” a security official says in a video of the incident filmed by Cheng.

“With the approval of the relevant department of the State Council, the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau is enforcing restrictions on your exit in accordance with the provisions of Article 12, Clause 5 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China,” the guard said.

In the video clip, Cheng argues with the guards.

“I tell you that you are committing a criminal act by preventing citizens from leaving the country, and abusing your power,” Cheng said. “You behave like a criminal gang, even though you are wearing police uniforms.”

Cheng had been hoping to fly from Hefei to Taipei, but declined tocomment on the reason for the trip.

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/lawyer-taiwan-04252019132853.html

Veteran Human Rights Lawyer Cheng Hai Disbarred

China: Support Grows for Suspended Tsinghua Law Professor in China

April 9, 2019

People walk near the gate of Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, July 27, 2016.

Support is growing at home and abroad for a liberal law professor at China’s Tsinghua University who was recently suspended for criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping.

But how big an impact the backlash will have on the university’s Communist Party-appointed leadership or in China’s academic circles remains to be seen, observers say. Xu Zhangrun is one of several dozen cases of academics recently silenced because of their dissenting views.

Two weeks ago, Tsinghua University launched an investigation into Xu after he wrote articles that boldly criticized the Communist Party’s repressive policies in recent years including last year’s constitutional amendments to scrap Xi’s two-term limits.

Not intimidated

So far Xu has been silent about the investigation but has shown no signs of caving to the university’s suppression, according to Hu Jia, a rights activist in Beijing.

“He [Xu] came to the realization that, in times of crisis, so many people have taken his side and spoken up for him. This shows that justice naturally inhabits man’s heart,” Hu quoted Xu as saying after having exchanged messages with the professor on the Chinese social media app Wechat.

“It is Professor Xu’s belief that history will be on his side and justice will prevail. And no matter how hard those in power suppress him, the truth cannot be hidden,” Hu added.

https://www.voanews.com/a/china-academic-freedom/4867877.html

Xu Zhangrun 許章潤 Archive

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/04/08/2003713010

http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201904060015.aspx

Speaking Up for a Man Who Dared to Speak Out

“Maintaining Stability” Measures Curb Academic Freedoms

Chinese university professor denounced by students for ‘opposing the Party and violating the constitution’

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/professor-04102019100534.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xu_Zhangrun