¨Legal rights violations in China: Should Obama speak up?¨ Los Angeles Times Opinion

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August 13, 2009

In what seems to be part of a crackdown on civil rights lawyers in China, the Chinese government has arrested prominent civil rights lawyer Xu Zhiyong on tax fraud charges. Zhiyong, who has not been heard from since his arrest two weeks ago, started the nonprofit Open Constitution Initiative legal clinic six years ago, which has recently represented victims of the poisoned milk powder that left three children dead and 6,000 sick in China. Zhiyong's clinic was shut down for "tax evasion." Experts say this arrest does not bode well for the already precarious rule of law in China, and human rights activists across the political spectrum are calling for President Obama to speak up on the issue.

While the Chinese government over the last several years has made much progress in multiple areas of law, including trade and corporate issues, civil rights law is less established and growing slowly because of the risks lawyers who practice in this field face. Very few lawyers (Freedom Watch says there are only several dozen) are willing to take on cases such as defending parents whose infants were affected by poisonous baby formula or death row inmates.

Xu was one of the few. Many of his fellow lawyers have been disbarred and believe they will never be reinstated as practicing attorneys, even though they were working within the law to try make change in China. "None of these guys were going around the government," Sophie Richardson of Human Rights Watch told me. "They took cases to court that were violations under Chinese law. It's not an anomaly when you disbar the only 50 people who practice this kind of law."
The question is, why now? According to Clayton Dube, associate director of the USC U.S.-China Institute, many blame this recent crackdown on the upcoming celebration of the 60th anniversary of Communist China. He says the government's skepticism of these lawyers started back with the earthquake in the Sichuan province, continued with the Tibetan protests (many of whom were represented by rights lawyers) and grew with the milk contamination cases. In other words, this isn't a new phenomenon.

Both Freedom Watch and Human Rights Watch have said that they wish the Obama administration would do more to confront China over the violation of legal and civil rights, the effects of which they say are not only felt by Chinese citizens but often also by foreigners, as was the case with the exported baby formula.

Should the Obama administration speak out against the infringement of human rights in China and the deterioration of this field of law? China is a strategic partner that might not react well to harsh criticism from its economic ally. Even so, is it the president's duty to press on this issue and risk economic consequences for the United States?

"Chinese start postcard drive to support dissidents," by Yu Le and Lucy Hornby (Reuters)

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August 6, 2009

BEIJING (Reuters Life!) - Chinese web users have launched a postcard campaign to support dissidents in prisons and to protest against their detention, one of the organizers told Reuters.

Chinese Internet activists launched their first postcard campaign last month, in a little-known case of a man detained in Fujian province in southern China.

They are now expanding the campaign to support better-known activists, including legal aid lawyer Xu Zhiyong and earthquake victim advocate Tan Zuoren.

"It depends on the prison or detention house whether they can receive the postcards," wrote Wen Yunchao, the blogger who initiated the idea.

"But pressure could be felt when huge amounts of postcards are flooding in."

Beijing is tightening its grip on the country's determined but small activist community, which has come under intense government pressure ahead of the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic in October.

Xu Zhiyong, who had taken on causes including helping victims of tainted baby milk formula and issuing an independent report on Tibet, was taken from his home last week and is being held in an undisclosed location.

Tan Zuoren, a writer who compiled a list of earthquake victims, faces trial next week on a charge of "inciting subversion of state power".

The first postcard campaign supported Guo Baofeng, detained for spreading information about ties between police and suspected rapists and murderers. Police said the woman died of illness.

Guo was released two weeks later, although it was not clear whether the postcards had helped. None ever reached his hands.

Advocates told web surfers and friends to write "Your mother calls you back home for lunch" on the postcards, referring to a phrase currently popular among the Chinese Internet community.

"'Come back home for lunch' is a metaphor for freedom," Ran Yunfei, a magazine editor who said he had sent postcards to Tan and Huang, told Reuters.

"And the word 'mother' makes people feel warm."

There is no evidence so far to show that the movement has any influence on the dissidents' cases, but Ran said at least it provides a way for people to express their opinion without risking unwelcome attention from security forces.

"The most important thing is to show your attitude," Ran said. "That's why it makes sense."