Breaking | An open letter to Xi: uphold the rule of the law and release unlawfully detained rights lawyers
Request marks first anniversary of unprecedented crackdown on civil rights on the mainland
Lawyer groups from around the world have called on President Xi Jinping to honour his pledge to protect the rule of law as they marked the one-year anniversary of a crackdown on civil society.
Xi should release all people unlawfully detained in the sweeping round-up and ensure the two dozen facing charges were given access to their chosen counsel, they said in an open letter.
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“We call on you as the president of the People’s Republic of China to dedicate your personal attention to ensure that the country honours its commitments to the constitution, national law [and] the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers,” said the letter, which was signed by more than a dozen overseas bar associations and lawyers’ groups.
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It also asked authorities to stop interfering with the families of the detainees as they sought legal assistance and to ensure adequate medical treatment for their loved ones and visitation rights.
More than 300 lawyers, legal assistants, activists and their relatives were detained or questioned in the “709” campaign, named for the date it began.
The top legal authorities ... have completely ignored the law
Chang Boyang, a civil rights lawyer, said attempts to win the release or better treatment for his colleagues had been “very tough”.