| 24.01.2017

7th Annual Day of the Endangered Lawyer: Why You Should Show Your Support for Human Rights Lawyers in China on January 24, 2017

Li Chunfu was taken into police custody on 1 August 2015 as part of the “709 crackdown”, an unprecedented offensive against China’s civil rights lawyers. He was released on bail on January 5, 2017. His family found him to be in an extremely traumatized state of mind, due to paranoia and a strong sense of insecurity, as well as severely underweight. Li Chunfu is the younger brother of the lawyer Li Heping (who is awaiting trial for the alleged crime of subversion of state power). 

Li Chunfu’s story is an inspiring one. His older brother was in his first year of college when Li Chunfu started his third year of middle school; however, the family was unable to afford tuition for both brothers. Despite his excellent grades, Li Chunfu was the one who had to make the sacrifice. Even though he had difficulties accepting the reality of his situation, he started working in a factory. Driven by a strong desire to help vulnerable persons and with encouragement from his brother, Li Heping, Li Chunfu finally earned enough money to start self-study for a law degree. After six years of perseverance and despite countless setbacks, both economic and academic, Li Chunfu officially became a lawyer in 2005. 

Before being detained, Li Chunfu was a human rights lawyer who kept a low profile. After Li Heping was arrested on July 10, 2015 and held incommunicado, Li Chunfu looked everywhere for his older brother, before being taken into custody himself on August 1, 2015. On January 8, 2016, Li Chunfu was formally charged with the alleged crime of subversion of state power. Throughout his 17 months in detention, Li Chunfu's lawyers were prevented from meeting with him and were denied access to his case file.

When the local police left Li Chunfu at the front door of his family home in Beijing on January 12, he remained outside and refused to enter. He then became agitated and upset, jumped up and pushed his relatives away, yelling “Get out of here! Danger!”. When he saw that his wife was making a telephone call, he grabbed her around the neck and shouted: “Who are you calling? This will cause trouble for me!”.

His family has been trying to warn Li Heping’s wife, Wang Qiaoling, but the security police have told Li Chunfu’s wife that she is not allowed any contact with Wang Qiaoling, or Li Chunfu will be detained again.

Li Chunfu is still terrified and confused. He has been diagnosed as suffering from a form of schizophrenia and is currently hospitalized1. 


Practicing law in China can be very dangerous, especially for human rights lawyers. With no independent judicial system, each day over 300,000 lawyers in China risk monitoring by the authorities, harassment and crackdowns.

We cannot allow China to persecute human rights lawyers anymore! Join the demonstrations of support that will be held around the world on Tuesday, January 24, 2017.


Attend the events held in your countries: 
 



PLEASE FIND BELOW THE PETITION HANDED OVER TO CHINESE EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES ALL OVER THE WORLD (English and Chinese).

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE DOCUMENT PREPARED BY THE IDHAE (available only in French). 


Learn more about the Day of the Endangered Lawyer : http://dayoftheendangeredlawyer.eu/


***************
 

1 See the full articles  https://chinachange.org/2017/01/15/a-third-update-on-lawyer-li-chunfu-he-was-drugged-in-custody/
https://chinachange.org/2017/01/13/chinese-rights-lawyer-li-chunfu-mentally-disturbed-and-physically-ruined-after-abuse-in-custody/