The Communist Chinese Party (CCP) authorities in recent weeks has included a focused oppression, arrest, and persecution of human rights activists and lawyers.  CCP President Xi Jinping has increased his oppression to silence dissent, to persecute Chinese human rights groups, and to oppress freedom of religion.  His CCP totalitarian oppressors have been monitoring social media and warning the public about against the spread of democratic ideas and influences.

In the past several weeks, over 200 lawyers and human rights activists have been detained or interrogated by the Communist totalitarians, which is run by CCP China’s Ministry of Public Security.  The Communist-run People’s Daily has criticized human rights lawyers as “black hands” disrupting public order.   The arrests were first noticed on July 9, 2015, when Beijing lawyer Wang Yu disappeared in the early morning, after power was cut to her apartment, and she sent a text that people were breaking into where she lived.

Of the 250 lawyers and staff arrested in the latest sweep, 27 are believe to still by in CCP custody.  Amnesty International reports that “Lawyers Xie Yang, Sui Muqing, and activist Gou Hongguo are being held on suspicion of ‘inciting subversion of state power’, which could carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years.”  Prominent human rights lawyer Li Heping is also reported to be in CCP police custody.

Beijing-based Fengrui Law Firm has been singled by the Communist oppression for its support of human rights cases. Arrests of Fengrui human rights lawyers has included Wang Yu, her husband Bao Longjun, and her 16 year old son, among other lawyers, staff, and members of the public.   The Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) group reports that Wang Yu is being held in a secret detention facility.  CHRD also reports: “She has represented activists, scholars, Falun Gong practitioners, farmers, and petitioners in cases involving a wide array of issues, including women’s and children’s rights, and the rights to religion, housing, and freedom of expression, assembly, and association.” “Many who know and have worked with Wang Yu describe her as a courageous and fearless ‘warrior.’ She has raced to the frontlines of rights defense work in China to provide legal aid to those in need, regardless of how difficult or politically sensitive a case is.”

The CCP totalitarians seek to force the human rights activists and lawyers to “confess” to crimes they have not committed.  Among those who have disappeared and are reportedly in some unknown CCP location (called “residential surveillance”) are: Xie Yang, Sui Muqing, Gou Hongguo, Chen Taihe, and Zhao Wei.  Amnesty International reports “All three men are at grave risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Sui Muqing’s wife refused to follow a police demand to write a letter to her husband telling him to admit to his ‘crimes.'”

William Nee, China researcher at Amnesty International, has stated “The whole tone of the state-media reports presents the case against the alleged ‘criminal gang’ as established fact, rather than allowing a fair and impartial court process to decide this.  The confessions that they’ve obtained seem like they are fitting the government’s pre-approved narrative.”

As of July 29, 2015, Amnesty International (AI) has provided a listing of those currently in CCP police custody, missing, under residential surveillance. AI has also provided a full list of those oppressed in the latest CCP crackdown in this link to a PDF file.

Currently in police custody
Lawyers:
王宇 Wang Yu
包龙军 Bao Longjun
周世锋 Zhou Shifeng
黄力群 Huang Liqun
王全璋 Wang Quanzhang
李和平 Li Heping
李向阳 Li Xiangyang
谢燕益 Xie Yanyi

Activists, academics, and law firm support Staff:
刘四新 Liu Sixin
望云和尚 Monk Wangyun
姜建军 Jiang Jianjun
陈泰和 Chen Taihe
赵威 （又名考拉）Zhao Wei (a.k.a Kao La)

Placed under residential surveillance:
隋牧青 Sui Muqing
谢阳 Xie Yang
勾洪国 （戈平） Gou Hongguo (Ge Ping)
徐知汉 Xu Zhihan
高月 Gao Yue

Whereabouts unknown:
Lawyer:
李姝云 Li Shuyun

Activists, family members and law firm support staff:
王芳 Wang Fang (law firm staff)
刘永平 Liu Yongping
胡石根 Hu Shigen
耿彩文 Geng Caiwen
王芳 Wang Fang (activist)
魏鹏 Wei Peng
尹旭安 Yin Xuan

The Chinese Human Rights Defenders have reported on a trial of three of those arrested for “subversion”: Tang Jingling, Yuan Xinting and Wang Qingying.

The Chinese Human Rights Defenders have posted a letter from one of the arrested lawyers, Wang Quanzhang, sent to his parents before his arrest. He said he hopes that his parents will appreciate the fact that he has lived his life on the principles instilled in him, namely honesty, kindness and integrity.  Wang said he will continue with the difficult path of defending human rights in China.

Hong Kong lawyers have launched a global signature petition campaign to express support for the dozens of mainland human rights activists and lawyers who had been detained by CCP totalitarians.  We urge all those who respect the rule of law to sign this petition calling for the release of these Chinese lawyers.

Chinese Communist leader and President Xi Jinping plans a trip to the United States of America in September 2015.  Activists are calling for the U.S. government to cancel Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the U.S., after these continuing abuses on human rights and the mass roundups of Chinese lawyers.  Responsible for Equality And Liberty joins the voices of such activists for freedom and the rule of law, and we urge you to sign the petition on this as well.

Responsible for Equality And Liberty joins Amnesty International’s call to the CCP authorities to disclose the whereabouts and status of those individuals they have detained, to ensure that they are given access to their lawyers and families, and that they are not being tortured or abused.

We stand with our brothers and sisters around the world to call for the support of our Universal Human Rights – everywhere, around the world.