Chinese rights lawyer Lu Siwei said in a media interview that his license was revoked because of his representation of the Twelve Hong Kong People case, which had caused discontent among the authorities.
In a video interview with him published by Radio Television Hong Kong on Monday (Feb. 15, 2021), Lu Siwei said he was prepared for the revocation of his license, although he was surprised by it. He said, “If it’s not a Hong Kong person case, it could be another case and eventually you will still have your license revoked, just like any other lawyer.”
The decision to revoke Lo’s lawyer’s license came after judicial authorities accused him of repeatedly making statements online that endangered national security and repeatedly making inappropriate comments about the case.
Ren Quanniu, another Henan rights lawyer who represented the Twelve Hong Kong People case, also received a hearing notice from the Department of Justice earlier this year for revocation of his license. The authorities accused him of “seriously damaging the image of the legal profession” in a case he handled in November 2018 to defend Falun Gong practitioners.
In late August 2020, 12 young people from Hong Kong were intercepted by the Chinese Coast Guard on suspicion of being on their way to Taiwan by speedboat. After spending more than four months in Shenzhen‘s Yantian Detention Center, 10 of them, aged 18 or older, were charged with “organizing others to cross the border” and “crossing the border” and sentenced on December 30 to prison terms ranging from seven months to three years, while two minors were exempted from prosecution. They were handed over to the Hong Kong police on the same day.
The “12 Hong Kong People’s Concern Group” issued a statement condemning the Chinese authorities for suppressing the two lawyers, Lu Siwei and Ren Quanniu, arguing that the authorities’ decision to revoke their licenses immediately after the conclusion of the “12 Hong Kong People’s case” on December 30 was an obvious response to the two lawyers’ courage to defy the authorities and defend the basic rights of the 12 Hong Kong people. The decision to revoke the license of the two lawyers after the conclusion of the “12 Hong Kong people case” on December 30 is obviously a punishment for the two lawyers who dare to defy the authorities and insist on defending the basic rights of the 12 Hong Kong people and cut off their livelihood.
In an interview with RTHK, Lu Siwei said he did not regret that he had taken up the case of 12 Hong Kong people. He said, “You have no way to regret, the fate of the arrangement is such, only to accept frankly.”
Lu Siwei said that without his lawyer’s license, he can still work as a legal advisor in the future, but regrets that he cannot continue to be a voice for his clients in court.
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