Chinese law firms face punishment under amended rules if lawyers exert pressure on judicial authorities
New regulations seen as further move to silence lawyers
Mainland law firms whose lawyers exert pressure on judicial authorities could face penalties including revocation of the firms’ licences, according to recently amended regulations by the Ministry of Justice.
The amendment, which will come into effect in November, is seen as another move to silence lawyers critical of the authorities as Beijing wraps up a campaign to crack down on rights lawyers that began last July. The crackdown is known as the 709 incident, referring to the date of the first detentions, and more than 300 rights lawyers and activists have been detained, sentenced or questioned since then.
Four were sentenced last month to jail terms ranging from three to seven years on subversion charges, in the first trials originating from the campaign.
The latest amended regulations on law firms include new items that hold firms responsible if their lawyers make “misleading and distorting comments” about cases, or “provoke discontent towards the party”.