Chinese rights lawyers fear tighter control after ‘lecture’ by justice minister
Meeting of legal professionals criticised for being more about propaganda than building bridges
Chinese rights lawyers fear they will be subjected to tighter controls after attending a high-profile meeting with the country’s justice minister, who pledged to deliver “harsh discipline with love”.
The four-day conference at the National Judges College in Beijing concluded on Thursday. It was attended by about 70 lawyers who specialise in criminal defence, as well as senior officials and industry regulators, including Minister of Justice Zhang Jun.
At the meeting, Zhang called on lawyers to refrain from engaging in protests, and from criticising judges and courts, Legal Daily reported on Wednesday.
The event was an unprecedented gesture by the authorities to mend their relationship with the legal profession two years after the so-called 709 crackdown in which hundreds of lawyers and human rights activists were interrogated and detained. At least 10 of the 70 lawyers who attended the Beijing conference specialise in rights cases.
Of the attendees contacted by South China Morning Post just one was willing to go on the record.