Mainland Chinese authorities accuse lawyer who helped detained Hong Kong fugitives of ‘endangering national security’ with tweets

Human rights lawyer Lu Siwei, who faces losing his licence to practice, defended his handling of the controversial case involving 12 Hongkongers

Sichuan judicial authorities ask Lu to sign a 49-page document listing articles he had tweeted or shared about plight of the detainees

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Lu Siwei (centre) after the judicial hearing in Chengdu on Wednesday morning. Photo: SCMP

Published: 12:51am, 14 Jan 2021Updated: 8:14am, 14 Jan 2021

A mainland Chinese lawyer facing disbarment after handling a case involving 12 Hong Kong fugitives captured at sea has been accused by authorities of “endangering national security” with his tweets about the plight of the detainees, the Post has learned.

Officials from the Sichuan provincial Department of Justice made the allegation against human rights lawyer Lu Siwei on Wednesday following the conclusion of appeal proceedings, in which he defended his handling of the controversial case. Lu had earlier been told by the authorities that his licence could be revoked as “administrative punishment”.

Diplomats were barred from attending the judicial hearing in the provincial capital Chengdu and human rights activists accompanying the outspoken lawyer were taken away by police for unspecified reasons.

Lu had been appointed by the family of Quinn Moon, one of 10 fugitives jailed last month in Shenzhen for illegally crossing the border while trying to flee to Taiwan last August to escape prosecution over their roles in anti-government protests. Two underage suspects were returned to Hong Kong police.

There were quarrels before the hearing. Photo: Facebook

During the hearing on Wednesday morning, lawyer Xie Yanyi, who represented Lu, described the authorities’ move to revoke his client’s licence as “political suppression” and accused them of treating his professional work with “a sense of hostility”.