China faces barrage of criticism over jailing of human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang
- Chinese citizen was swept up in ‘709 crackdown’ and has not been seen since
- He was tried and convicted behind closed doors in case that legal groups say fell far short of any basic legal standard
Professional bodies of lawyers from six different jurisdictions including Hong Kong have expressed grave concern over the jailing of Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang, who has been sentenced to 4½ years in prison for subversion.
Bar associations from England and Wales, Geneva, Germany, France and the International Association of Lawyers all criticised the Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People’s Court’s guilty verdict against Wang last Monday, which was delivered without an open trial – a move they said contravened the Chinese constitution and international conventions.
Lionel Halpérin, president of the Geneva Bar Association, condemned the verdict “in the strongest possible terms” and called for Wang’s immediate release.
“I am no expert in Chinese law, but Monday’s verdict falls short of any basic legal standard and practice, notwithstanding international human rights standards,” Halpérin said.
Jacqueline Scott, director general of the International Association of Lawyers’ Institute for the Rule of Law, also condemned the decision to punish Wang for exercising his rights as a human rights lawyer.