by Annie Lam

The China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group has released the English-language edition of a book on human rights in China. In it, the group describes lawyers’ work, government repression, the biographies of frontline activists and the trials in which they are involved. It notes that mainland lawyers are a sword to defend people in human rights cases, but also in need of a shield of their own to protect themselves from persecution. The Chinese-language edition will be released next month.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) – The Hong Kong-based China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group (CHRLCG) today launched an English-language book about China’s human rights lawyers, marking International Day of Human Rights. A Chinese version will be published in January 2010 to mark the CHRLCG’s third anniversary. Titled “A Sword and a Shield: China’s Human Rights Lawyers”, it is probably the first book that focuses on China's human rights lawyers issues.

Executive Secretary Patrick Poon Kar-wai, a Catholic, told AsiaNews that the title means that human rights lawyers in China have a sword to defend human rights cases, but are also in need of a shield to protect themselves.

The articles in the book include analyses written by prominent lawyers and legal scholars in Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan and the United States. Topics include the increasing harassment of human rights lawyers and legal activists; restrictions on legal representation in criminal cases, in particular those involving writers and political dissidents; the role of lawyers in the emerging “weiquan” (rights defence) movement; and a comparison of lawyers’ participation in the human rights movements in mainland China and Taiwan. Defence statements by prominent Chinese human rights lawyers in two important human rights cases have also been translated.

“We hope this book will provide readers with a deeper and broader understanding of the situation of human rights lawyers in China,” Poon said.

In the past three years, Poon said, the Concern Group has given lawyers their support so that they do not feel that they are alone.

“So far, we have received requests from overseas organizations and the United Nations' organizations that have asked us for information on the situations of China lawyers,” he said. 

Since its founding, the Concern Group has provided assistance in 80 cases in China.  

Divided into five chapters, the book presents biographical information on more than 30 lawyers who have been harassed in China, and includes a joint press release by Hong Kong and Taiwan legal professionals in support of China’s rights defence lawyers.

The first chapter focuses on prominent rights defence lawyers. The second one deals with legal defence and legal representation issues, and includes statements and pleas made in several cases, like those by prominent lawyer Li Fangping in defence of writer Hu Jia. Chapter three looks at the crackdown on lawyers. Chapter four focuses on lawyers and the rights defence movement. Finally, Chapter five deals with the experience of lawyers across the strait, comparing the professional protection of lawyers in Taiwan and China.

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