International action urged for ‘709’ crackdown in China: joint statement

Signatories call for increased support for human rights lawyers, defenders in the country

International action urged for ‘709’ crackdown in China: joint statement

A joint statement for the 10th anniversary of the “709” crackdown on human rights lawyers and legal activists in China asked the concerned governments and the United Nations to take urgent steps to launch an independent, international investigation. 

The joint statement described the events that commenced on July 9, 2015 – now called the “709” crackdown – as an assault on China’s human rights lawyers and rule of law activists, more than 300 of whom police officers seized. 

According to the joint statement, Chinese authorities went on to forcibly disappear many of these human rights lawyers and defenders, arbitrarily detain dozens for peacefully exercising or advocating for human rights, and punish their families and children for their links to their loved ones. 

The joint statement said Chinese officials imprisoned 10 lawyers and activists on unsubstantiated charges and imposed sentences ranging from three to eight years. The joint statement added that these authorities have evaded accountability for grave abuses of rights. 

The joint statement noted that, following the “709” crackdown, the Chinese government has since committed: 

  • widespread and systematic human rights violations 
  • potential crimes against humanity in the Uyghur region 
  • assaults against independent civil society, including lawyers who attempted to seek relief relating to legal and social issues via the judicial system 

According to the joint statement, over the past 10 years, the signing organizations have made efforts to spread the stories of those impacted by the “709” crackdown. 

“As a human rights lawyer, I insisted on speaking truth to power, while seeking to advance freedom of religion and belief, freedom of expression, human dignity, social justice, and peace and democracy,” said a lawyer detained during the crackdown, quoted in the joint statement. 

Amnesty International was one of the signatories of the joint statement. 

“The 709 Crackdown led to the unjust prosecution and persecution of some of China’s most diligent human rights lawyers and legal activists, but it was just the start of a decade-long assault on human rights and the rule of law that shows no signs of abating today,” said Sarah Brooks, the organization’s China director, in the organization’s news release

“Many of the lawyers targeted 10 years ago continue to risk imprisonment and to face regular harassment and harsh restrictions on their rights – disrupting not only their daily lives, but also those of their families, including their children,” Brooks added. 

Call to action

The joint statement, shared by Amnesty International, urged: 

  • the UN Human Rights Council and concerned governments to take steps to hold Chinese authorities accountable 
  • the UN Human Rights Council to develop a mechanism for monitoring and reporting on China’s human rights situation 
  • governments to back the investigation into Chinese officials’ human rights violations and increase support for human rights lawyers, activists, and their families in the country 
  • the states concerned to name the wrongfully detained human rights lawyers and defenders and publicly seek their release 
  • governments with bilateral rule of law cooperation agreements to demand that Chinese authorities drop all charges and quash all convictions against those arbitrarily detained 
  • increase awareness of the plight of human rights defenders in China before the UN Human Rights Council and via joint statements, briefings, and events 

The joint statement’s signatories included Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada, the Asian Lawyers Network, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), the Law Society of England and Wales, and Lawyers for Lawyers, among others.