March 2023 | Guo Feixiong's Story | Albert Ho Arrested Again

 Organisational Updates

The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights released its concluding observations on China's and Hong Kong's implementation of the International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

In line with the 29 Principles’ submission for the review, the Committee highlighted China's systematic prosecution, reprisals, and intimidation of human rights defenders and lawyers, expressing concern about the lack of judicial independence and increasing political interference in the judiciary. Similar comment was made with respect to Hong Kong, as the Committee described how the HKNSL has “de facto abolished” judicial independence in Hong Kong. The Committee expressed concern over the treatment of civil society, human rights defenders, journalists, and lawyers, noting a pattern of arrests, detentions, and trials without due process. The conclusions urged China to guarantee the full independence and impartiality of the judiciary, while also calling for Hong Kong to abolish the national security hotline and review the HKNSL.

You can find more details in the summary on our website. 

The 29 Principles is organising a seminar on "Political Violence in China and Hong Kong" on 8th April 2023 at Nowhere Book Store in Taipei at No. 170-2, Section 1, Zhonghua Rd, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10846.

The objective of this seminar is to share insights into the situation in China and Hong Kong, with a focus on the mental health of human rights lawyers.

The main topics of the seminar include:

1. How does China suppress lawyers in China and Hong Kong?
2. What are the trends in political cases in China and Hong Kong?
3. Observations on human rights violations in China's judiciary and Hong Kong's National Security Law
4. Why people outside of China and Hong Kong need to understand these issues
5. Sharing insights on lawyers' mental health

The seminar will be hosted by Chakra Ip, executive director of the 29 Principles, and will feature guest speakers Professor Teng Biao, a Chinese lawyer and legal scholar and one of the board members§ of the 29 Principles, who is currently a Hauser Human Rights Scholar at Hunter College and a Pozen Visiting Professor at the University of Chicago; Professor Chen Yu-jie, Assistant Research Professor at the Institutum Iurisprudentiae of Academia Sinica and an Affiliated Scholar at the U.S.-Asia Law Institute of NYU School of Law; and counsellor Hsiao Kuei, who is also the founder of the Healing for HK.

As an organisation supporting Chinese human rights lawyers, we hope that through this seminar, more people will understand the concept of political violence and care about judicial human rights violations and mental health. We would greatly appreciate it if you could share this information or attend the event.

Please note that the seminar will be conducted in Mandarin.

 Human Rights Lawyers in China 

On this year’s International Women’s Day on 8th March 2023, the 29 Principles drew attention to the worrying situation of Chinese human rights lawyer Li Yuhan, who has now been detained for five years and five months. The latest reports show that she has been experiencing health issues in detention. Although a doctor recommended a CT scan at the hospital, and gained the approval of both the detention centre and the initial approval of the court, the court later rescinded its approval. They cited as the reason for the refusal their concerns that Li might encounter her family during the check-up. Despite attempts by Li's family members to communicate with the detention centre and the court, they have been unable to obtain a grant for the necessary medical procedures. On 20th March 2023, accompanied by lawyer He Wei, Li underwent relevant medical examinations at the hospital. Lawyer He would later send a bail application and legal opinion letter to the handling court and the correspondingDistrict Court. If necessary, lawyer He indicated that he would continue to press charges against the District Court for its illegal handling of the case, which involved prolonged detention.

A year after being released from prison, Chinese human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng shared a video clip, in which he shared on the difficult experiences that he faced during captivity, which included multiple arrests, torture, and inhumane treatment. After these ordeals, upon Yu’s release, he and his family continue to face substantial challenges living in China, where they are prohibited from leaving and subjected to restrictions like censorship, house arrest, surveillance. Their livelihoods have been disrupted, and life remains under significant pressure.

Yu emphasised that his experience is not unique, as many human rights lawyers and defenders in China face similar challenges: losing their ability to practice law, and falling into poverty due to their commitment to justice and human rights. In light of China's deteriorating human rights and rule of law situation, Yu wished for human rights advocates to remain steadfast in their pursuit of freedom, democracy, and a better future for the country. He expressed gratitude for the support that he and his family members received during their imprisonment and hoped that the international community and friends both inside and outside China continue to support and pay attention to the plight faced by human rights lawyers in China.

Lawyer Liu Xiaoyuan has been reported missing during the sensitive period of the “Two Sessions”, after he was stopped by railway police at Ganzhou Railway Station while en route to visit a friend in Zhuhai. National security police from Liu's hometown had issued a notice asking for assistance in an investigation, leading to his travel being prohibited. Since Liu requested an explanation from the authorities, all contact with him has been lost, raising concerns about his well-being. It also again raises further questions about the treatment of dissidents who are often forcibly taken away for so-called 'tourism.'

Chinese human rights lawyer Zhou Shifeng has been forced to deregister his 709 Consulting Group Co., Ltd. Two individuals who helped Zhou found the company were summoned by the Haikou Public Security Bureau, where they were asked to deregister the company and instructed not to offer any office or registration services for Zhou in the future.