China UPR: attention for repression of lawyers
On 22 October, the UN Human Rights Council will discuss China in the context of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Together with Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada, L4L filed a joint submission in March of this year.
The joint submission is referred to in the stakeholder summary composed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights (see para. 32 and 33, JS6). The summary for instance refers to the severe repression of lawyers who pick up sensitive criminal cases, such as those against Falun Gong practitioners, Tibet activists, land rights activists and HIV victims.
Other submissions furthermore draw attention to the oath that lawyers with a license were supposed to swear in 2012, placing their loyalty to the Communist Party above that to their clients. China is also called upon to revise laws in order to guarantee that lawyers can do their work properly, for instance where the access to their clients and documents and the obtaining of evidence are concerned.
L4L closely follows the UPR and the reaction of China on the recommendations.