Ten years China launched a sweeping crackdown on human rights lawyers, international rights groups led by Amnesty International are using urging immediate global action to hold the Chinese government accountable for a decade of ongoing repression.
According to a recent report by Amnesty International, the crackdown, known as the “709” incident, which began on July 9, 2015, led to the detention or disappearance of over 300 lawyers and activists. Many faced torture, imprisonment on false charges, or were held in secret detention centers, a practice the United Nations has labelled enforced disappearance.
“These individuals were punished for doing their jobs- defending clients and standing up for justice. A decade later, the harassment continues, and the global response has fallen short,” said Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International China Director.
Human rights advocates warn that the repression has only intensified since 2015. Authorities have revoked lawyers’ licenses, subjected their families to intimidation, and placed them under constant surveillance. Peaceful activists like Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhiyong have been sentenced to long prison terms –up to 4 years.
Amnesty’s report emphasizes that the impact of the 709 crackdown extends beyond the legal field. Since 205, the Chinese government under President Xi Jingping hVs broadened its repressive measures, cracking down on freedoms in Hong Kong, targeting Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang with alleged crimes against humanity, eroding Tibetan culture, and silencing critics, even abroad.
The 709 incident, Amnesty said, was not merely an assault on legal professionals, it became a model for suppressing civil society at large. One detained lawyer’s wife shared how her family continues to suffer from surveillance, job loss, evictions and lasting trauma.
In response, Amnesty and 29 other organisations, including Human Rights watch, Freedom House, and Safeguard Defenders, have signed a joint statement calling on the UN Human Rights Council to launch an independent investigation into China’s human rights abuses. They also urged an end to international legal cooperation with China until all unjust convictions are overturned and the detained lawyers are freed.
The article underscores that despite international criticism, Beijing has consistently refused to release imprisoned lawyers and human rights defenders. As world leaders prepare for upcoming United Nations meetings, advocacy groups insist that stronger, concrete action is long overdue.
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