China moves to punish lawyers who helped Hong Kong activists

Guardian ^ | 1-5-21

[SJackson]

Authorities threaten to revoke licences of pair who assisted group of 12 that tried to flee to Taiwan

Chinese authorities have threatened to end the careers of two lawyers who assisted 12 activists who tried to flee Hong Kong for Taiwan last August, 10 of whom were given jail terms by a Chinese court last week.

Ren Quanniu – who also represented the Wuhan citizen journalist Zhang Zhan – and Lu Siwei received notices from local departments of justice on Monday that authorities intended to revoke their licences and they had three days to arrange for a defence hearing.

Accusing each of violating regulations, the authorities cited Ren’s handling of a 2018 case relating to Falun Gong practitioners, and said Lu had made “improper remarks on the internet”. The lawyers believe they are being targeted for their recent work.

In a statement, Ren said his office was raided on Monday by more than a dozen masked individuals claiming to be from the Henan department of justice. He rejected the accusations as a “shameless frame-up” and professional persecution, and demanded the authorities withdraw their action and apologise.

Lu, whose social media accounts have been blocked, accused officials of abusing their power and said he would arrange for a hearing. He urged officials to build a better relationship with lawyers, or they would “certainly be dropping a rock on their own feet”.

The families of the Hong Kong defendants, noting the timing, said the disciplinary action against Ren and Lu was “obviously revenge” and designed to intimidate others.

“For their daring to go against the powers that be, and persistence in upholding the rights of ‘the 12’, the authorities have resorted to ending their professional career and cutting off their livelihoods,” they said in a statement.

[PGR88]

At some level, everyone knew Hong Kong would eventually become just another Mainland Chinese city.

2020 was the year.

[Skywise]

Isn’t that interesting - that’s what the Democrats are trying to do to the Republicans.

[joshua c]

The CCP is acting like the Michigan AG

[volunbeer]

Hellfire, this is happening in the US. Just ask the attorneys retained by Trump who were forced by their firms to cease representation.

[ClearCase_guy]

Beat me to it.

I can’t really tell if China is copying bad practices in the US or if the US is copying bad practices from China. Someone is taking the lead on the road to hell. Or maybe the US and China have already merged into one country and no one told us.

[volunbeer]

The “globalist” who push pro-CCP policies are in for a rude awakening one day. They will be the first people jailed for contrary thought.

The same can be said for the American oligarchs who seem to think the scraps they throw at leftist causes will somehow suppress the hatred of wealth they possess. The politicians love the wealthy even as they mouth words against wealth distribution in society. The real left hates them. They will eventually crush the princes of Silicon Valley and the big dogs on Wall Street.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

I’m sure “a” president Biden, VP Harris, Secy of State John Kerry, and the other leftist fools and traitors in a Democrat administration will “get right on the case” of human rights in Hong Kong.

Biden tried to sell out Iraq to ISIS, Israel to Hamas/Hezbollah and IRAN, American to Iran and Red China, and possibly even Moscow. Harris is a “Red Diaper Baby” (her father and possibly her mother were open Marxists) while she was just a political whore; Kerry sold out the people of So. Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos for his political ambitions, and other Transition/New Administration nominees or possible nominees are “surrender monkeys” of the “Made in China” kind.

I liked Hong Kong and its people when I was there. Hope the hell they get out to freedom elsewhere in what is going to be left of the Free World because Biden isn’t going to do a damned thing for them. Hell, he can’t even find HK on a map. He probably thinks it is a part of San Francisco’s “Chinatown”. Harris could care less and Kerry would just put up another white flag on his wall with the name “Hong Kong” written on it along with all the other countries he has sold out to the Communists and Islamic extremists.

2021 is going to be a very interesting year, perhaps the last one of a betrayed Free America.

[SJackson]

You forgot Egypt to the Muslim Brotherhood. I like Hong Kong too, it's a friendly place. Doubt I'll ever go back there. I was there not long after the 2016 election. I'm careful what I talk about anywhere, but in a long line waiting for a cab the young man handling our luggage asked if my wife could watch it for a minute and pulled me away to talk. Told me he was a student and please support Trump, he's their only hope. Didn't say much about HK, only that of course I'll support my President, not knowing who he really was, but thought about him during last summer's riots. If he want's to get to the UK or here I hope he makes it.

Should his dad become President maybe Hunter can go into the travel agency business. Can cut the government red tape for potential immigrants from stressed countries, for a fee of course.