Joint Open Letter: The recent arrest of a large group of human rights lawyers in China

His Excellency Mr Xi Jinping, The PresidentThe State Council General Office2 FuyoujieXichengquBeijingshi 100017People's Republic of China

His Excellency Mr. Guo ShengkunMinister of Public SecurityNo.14, Donchang’anjie,Dongchengqu, Beijing 100741People’s Republic of ChinaEmail: gabzfwz@mps.gov.cn

Date: 21 July 2015

Your Excellency,
Re: The recent arrest of a large group of human rights lawyers in China
The undersigned organisations strongly condemn the recent unprecedented and seemingly well-coordinated detention of a large number of human rights lawyers in China. It followed the disappearance of Lawyer Wang Yu on 9 July 2015 and included inter alia:
• the criminal detention of lawyers and legal assistants Wang Yu (王宇), Zhou Shifeng (周世鋒), Wang Quanzhang (王全璋), Huang Liqun (黃力群), Sui Muqing (隋牧青)and Xie Yang (谢阳), Bao Longjun (包龍軍), Liu Sixin (劉四新), Ge Ping (戈平) and Li Heping (李和平);• searching of the offices of Fengrui Law Firm (锋锐) and of Xiyuanwang (洗冤网), a network set up to work on wrongful criminal conviction cases, in Beijing.
As of 19 July 2015, a total of at least 233 lawyers, law firm staff, and human rights defenders have been detained, arrested, held incommunicado, summoned, or otherwise had their freedom temporarily restricted.
Many of those detained were part of a group of over 100 lawyers and rights activists who signed a public statement on 9 July 2015 condemning Wang Yu’s disappearance.
Furthermore we have noted that official media reports have pro-actively portrayed a number of detained ‘suspects’ as criminals, including a recent CCTV 13 news report describing recent human rights lawyer advocacy campaigns as ‘rights-defence-style trouble-making’ (‘维权式’滋事).

These events make it impossible to take President's Xi Jinping’s recent claims to be promoting the rule of law seriously, as they rigorously violate many international standards, including but not limited to: the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders), and the UN Body of principles for the protection of all persons under any form of detention or imprisonment.
All these lawyers, law firm staff and human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily deprived of their liberty should be immediately released. If they are not immediately released, we urgently request that you immediately confirm the whereabouts of those currently in detention and that you ensure that they have prompt and regular access to their lawyers and family.
Furthermore we request that those arrested will be protected from any future control measures typically used against human rights lawyers in China such as: tracking and following; violent attacks; soft detention; ‘being travelled’; being asked to have ‘chats’; being placed under criminal, administrative, or judicial detention; being subjected to enforced disappearance, torture or psychiatric incarceration.
We request your urgent attention for this matter and will continue to closely monitor the fate of the lawyers concerned in the near future.
Yours sincerely,
Lawyers for Lawyers
Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada
The Law Society of England and Wales
International Commission of Jurists
Rechters voor Rechters
Day of the Endangered Lawyer
Ordre des Avocats de Genève
European Criminal Bar Association
Amsterdamse Orde van Advocaten
Sollicitors’ International Human Rights Group
Syndicat des Avocats de France
Association of Libertarian Jurists
The Law Society of Upper Canada
International Federation For Human Rights, in the framework of its Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
World Organisation Against Torture, in the framework of its Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
Deutscher Anwalt Verein
Freedom House
European Democratic Lawyers
European Lawyers Promoting Law and Justice
Fisher Jones Greenwood Solicitors
Gillis Long Poverty Law Center
Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales
Bar Council of Ireland Human Rights Committee
International Service for Human Rights
Asociación Libre de Abogados

Encl: Chinese translation of this letter: China_2015.07.21_Joint_OL_Chinese
C.C: His Excellency Mr Xu CHEN Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in the Kingdom of the Netherlands Willem Lodewijklaan 10 2517 JT The Hague, The Netherlands Email: chinaemb_nl@mfa.gov.cn
C.C: His Excellency Mr. Aart Jacobi Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Beijing 4 Liangmahe South Rd. Chaoyang district 100600 Beijing, People’s Republic of China Email: pek@minbuza.nl

C.C: His Excellency Ambassador Wu Hailong Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations in Geneva 11, chemin de Surville 1213 Petit-Lancy, Geneva, Switzerland Email: chinamission_gva@mfa.gov.cn
C.C: Mr. Wang Junfeng All China Lawyers Association 5/F., Qinglan Plaza No. 24, Dongsishitiao, Dongchengqu, Beijing 100007, People’s Republic of China
C.C: Mr. David Kaye Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Email: freedex@ohchr.org
C.C: Mr Michel Forst Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights – Palais Wilson United Nations Office at Geneva CH 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Email: defenders@ohchr.org

C.C: Ms. Mónica PintoSpecial Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and LawyersOffice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsUnited Nations Office at Geneva8-14 Avenue de la Paix 1211Geneva 10, SwitzerlandE-mail: SRindependenceJL@ohchr.org
C.C: Mr. Bert Koenders Minister of Foreign Affairs Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bezuidenhoutseweg 67 2594 AC The Hague, The Netherlands Email: bert.koenders@minbuza.nl
C.C: Mr. Kees van Baar Human Right Ambassador with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bezuidenhoutseweg 67 2594 AC The Hague, The Netherlands Email: kees-van.baar@minbuza.nl