China Lawyers Chinese lawyer accuses authority of “framing” him for helping Hong Kong activists
Beijing: A mainland Chinese lawyer has claimed he has been informed by authorities that his licence could be revoked for 'making inappropriate remarks on the internet' after he helped 10 Hong Kong activists for crossing the border, media reports said.
A mainland Chinese lawyer hired by the family of one of the Hong Kong fugitives recently jailed in Shenzhen has accused authorities of “framing” him over another case as a pretext for revoking his licence, South China Morning Post reported.
Zhengzhou-based Ren Quanniu broke his silence one day after he and another outspoken lawyer, Lu Siwei, received letters from separate provincial judicial agencies saying that their licences could be revoked in as little as three days if they did not request a hearing on the decision, the newspaper reported.
"Without mentioning Ren’s involvement in the Hongkongers’ case, the Henan Provincial Department of Justice said in its letter that the lawyer faced disbarment over his handling of a 2018 case in which he represented a member of Falun Gong, a spiritual group regarded by Chinese authorities as a “cult organisation”, added the newspaper report.
US urges China over release of activists:
The United States is urging China to immediately release 10 Hong Kong activists who were sentenced in a Chinese court on charges related to the city's anti-government protests, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Thursday.
"The United States strongly condemns the Shenzhen court’s actions and calls for the ten members of the group who were sentenced to jail terms to be immediately and unconditionally released," Pompeo said in the statement.
The 10 individuals are among 12 rights activists who were arrested off the coast of Hong Kong on August 23 while allegedly trying to flee to Taiwan by boat.
A Chinese court on Wednesday sentenced 10 of them, after they allegedly admitted to having attempted to illegally cross the maritime border. Two others face no charges, as they are minors.
No journalists or diplomats were allowed at the hearings.
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