Global Human Rights Groups slam China's ongoing crackdown on lawyers at UN

Crackdown started on July 9, 2015, when more than 300 lawyers and legal advocates were targeted by police, marking largest organised suppression of legal professionals in the China's's recent history

A coalition of global human rights organisations has expressed grave concerns during the 59th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council regarding the ongoing persecution of human rights attorneys in China, commemorating the tenth anniversary of China's "709 Crackdown."

As reported in a press release by the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), the oral statement was presented by Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) and supported by Amnesty International, the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute, Lawyers for Lawyers, and the Law Society of England and Wales.

The crackdown started on July 9, 2015, when more than 300 lawyers and legal advocates were targeted by police in China, marking the largest organised suppression of legal professionals in the nation's recent history. The WUC release notes that the statement highlighted that human rights lawyers in China continue to endure harassment, disbarment, imprisonment, and incessant surveillance.

The organisations pointed out several specific cases, including lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who has been forcibly disappeared since 2017, and Ding Jiaxi, who received a 12-year prison sentence in 2023 merely for attending a private meeting with fellow lawyers.

The statement also indicated that the families of detained lawyers frequently face hardships as well, losing their jobs, homes, and access to education, while enduring travel restrictions and constant monitoring.

As mentioned in the WUC release, the NGOs voiced their concern over the escalating repression of other human rights defenders, including Tibetans, Uyghurs, and residents of Hong Kong. The organisations also condemned China's increasing use of transnational repression to silence dissent beyond its borders.

The coalition urged the global community to take substantial actions to hold China accountable for its violations. "Torture is universally condemned under international law," the organisations stated, urging the UN Special Rapporteur and member states to implement stronger measures against these abuses.

The statement also received backing from 16 other NGOs, including the Uyghur Human Rights Project, CIVICUS, China Aid, Safeguard Defenders, and the Taipei Bar Association Human Rights Committee.