Mexico City [Mexico], July 24 : Amnesty International has issued a joint statement commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Chinese government's "709" crackdown on human rights lawyers, urging for an independent international inquiry into the decade-long persecution of civil society and human rights activists in China. The crackdown, initiated on July 9, 2015, represented a significant shift in Beijing's assault on civil liberties and the rule of law, according to the rights organisation.
Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International's China Director, pointed out that the "709 Crackdown" was not a singular event but rather the onset of a wider, systematic decline in human rights within China. "The 709 Crackdown resulted in the wrongful prosecution and targeting of some of China's most dedicated human rights attorneys and legal advocates," Brooks stated. "It marked merely the beginning of a ten-year campaign against human rights and the rule of law that remains unabated today."
Under Chinese President Xi Jinping's administration, the crackdown led to the apprehension of over 300 lawyers and activists. Numerous individuals faced arbitrary detention, forced disappearances, and torture. The government imposed lengthy prison sentences on several individuals, including Wu Gan, who received an eight-year sentence, and Zhou Shifeng, who was sentenced to seven years. Additionally, the state expanded the use of the "residential surveillance at a designated location" (RSDL) system, which UN experts have classified as equivalent to enforced disappearance.
Amnesty International's report emphasises how the Chinese authorities specifically targeted lawyers advocating for constitutional rights, legal reforms, and the representation of marginalised communities such as Tibetans, Christians, LGBT advocates, and those affected by public health crises. These lawyers, previously lauded by the government, like Gao Zhisheng, who was recognised as a leading attorney in 2001, later faced enforced disappearance.
The statement also details the continued collective punishment experienced by the families of detained lawyers, which includes constant surveillance, loss of employment, forced relocations, and limitations on education and travel for their children. "The repercussions of '709' are present in every aspect of my life," remarked the spouse of one detained lawyer, highlighting ongoing surveillance and social exclusion.
Amnesty observes that the crackdown has further developed into more severe repression, evidenced by harsh sentences given to those who persist in legal activism. In 2023, lawyers Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhiyong received sentences of 12 and 14 years, respectively, for "subversion of state power." In total, at least 20 lawyers have been disbarred, with many others compelled to cease working due to governmental pressure.
The rights organisation criticised the inadequate response of the international community to the crackdown. In spite of numerous statements from various governments and the UN over the past ten years, China has dismissed pleas to free detained lawyers and respect their rights. Amnesty International urged the UN Human Rights Council to set up an ongoing mechanism to monitor China's human rights situation and encouraged nations to publicly call for the release of unjustly imprisoned lawyers.
"This decade anniversary should serve as a reminder to governments worldwide to press their Chinese counterparts to guarantee the freedom and fair treatment of all lawyers targeted solely for fulfilling their professional responsibilities," Brooks concluded.
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