One year since the formal arrest of Qin Yongpei
China
Precisely one year ago, on 3 December 2019, Chinese human rights lawyer Qin Yongpei was formally arrested. Until this day, Qin Yongpei remains detained in prison.
On 31 October 2019, Qin Yongpei was detained in an apparent retaliation for criticising the corruption of high-level Chinese officials on social media. Consequently, the police raided his office. More than a month after being taken in for detention, Qin Yongpei was formally arrested on 3 December 2019 for “inciting subversion of state power” and has been in police custody since then.
According to information that has been received by Lawyers for Lawyers, the Chinese authorities have continuously refused requests by Qin Yongpei’s lawyer to meet his client and reportedly, visited and harassed Qin Yongpei’s family multiple times. On 26 May 2020, Qin Yongpei was allowed to meet his lawyer for the first time since his arrest in 2019. After his case being transferred multiple times for additional investigation, the Nanning procuratorate prosecuted Qin Yongpei on 29 May 2020 for “inciting subversion of state power”.
In his legal career, Qin Yongpei has defended various other human rights lawyers facing reprisals from the authorities, provided legal assistance to vulnerable groups, and took up cases involving unlawful administrative detention, industrial pollution, forced demolition of housing and wrongful convictions. Furthermore, he is the founder and director of the Guangxi Baijuming Law Firm.
Lawyers for Lawyers has repeatedly asked attention and expressed concern about the continued detention of Qin Yongpei. We will continue to monitor his case closely.