Harassment of rights lawyers rising, say attorneys

Human rights lawyers on the mainland fear they may be facing increased persecution and violence after four of their profession were detained - and at least one beaten - when they tried to help members of the banned spiritual movement Falun Gong last month.

Supporters of the lawyers, including other members of the legal profession, were also manhandled and detained on Saturday after they held a rally outside a detention centre in Heilongjiang province in support of the men, further stoking fears that rights activists face greater hostility from the police and the authorities on the mainland.

The four lawyers were detained on March 21 by police in Jiansanjiang after they asked after the fate of several members of Falun Gong held at a "legal education centre" - a euphemism for an illegal detention centre, or "black jail".

One of the lawyers, Zhang Junjie , said in a posting online that he was slapped, beaten and kicked during interrogation, fracturing three of his ribs.

He was then put in administrative detention for five days for "gambling" and was released on Thursday. The three other lawyers, Jiang Tianyong , Tang Jitian and Wang Cheng , were placed on 15 days administrative detention. Jiang and Tang were accused of "using cult activities to endanger society". The accusations made against Wang are unclear.

Fellow lawyers fear the three are likely to have been beaten and abused while in detention.

About 30 people staged a rally outside the Qixing detention centre where the three lawyers are held. They were hauled away by the police from outside the centre and their hotel on Saturday, said lawyer Fu Yonggang, who was among them. Fu said police put black hoods over their heads and used parcel tape to bind their hands behind their backs.