Lawyers for Lawyers is concerned about the revocation of the legal practicing licenses of lawyers Yang Bin and Chang Weiping from China. Both lawyers are known to have taken on politically sensitive cases.
Human rights lawyer Yang Bins’ legal practicing license was suspended in August 2020. It seems that the suspension relates to her representation in a civil rights case in 2019, where villagers were charged for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” after celebrating the return of jail-leavers who were prisoned for clashing with the Government regarding an incident of resumption of land. Yet, it was reported that the true cause is her open support to the 2019 Hong Kong Protests, and to Dr. Li Wenliang, one of the first groups of whistleblowers in China who disclosed the pandemic to the public.
Chang Weiping is a human rights lawyer known for his public interest litigation in the defense of the rights of people facing discrimination based on their health status, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation. He has provided legal counsel to human rights defenders, victims of defective vaccines, as well as women, LGBT persons, and persons living with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B who face discrimination in the workplace. Chang Weipings’ certificate to practice law was reportedly suspended in January 2020. In October 2020, Chang Weiping was detained by the police and he remains in detention to this day.
Both suspensions are examples of a trend taking place in China since 2015, where lawyers who have taken on politically sensitive cases, have been subjected to administrative sanctions including, but not limited to, suspension and invalidation of their practice licences.
Lawyers for Lawyers expresses its concern over the recent developments surrounding suspension and revoking of the practise licenses of taking on politically sensitive cases. We will continue to monitor the cases of Yang Bin and Chang Weiping.
