Concerned Lawyers Form Chinese Rights Defense Association to Protect Petitioners

ChinaAid
June 30, 2010
BEIJING–From Shanghai to Beijing, rights defense lawyers have witnessed the harassment of petitioners, Chinese citizens who bring community concerns of the people to their designated higher authorities in government. Crackdown methods including detention, interrogation, restricted travel, physical abuse, and in extreme cases Re-Education through Labor, continue to be used by the government to deter petitioners from lodging their formal complaints and repress potential social instability.
In response, a group of Chinese human rights lawyers have joined together to form the Chinese Petitioner Rights Defense Association, a group of legal defenders who are committed to protecting the rights of petitioners, and promoting rule of law throughout China. They released the following statement on June 29, 2010:
Public notice from Petitioners’ Rights Attorneys
To protect the rights and freedom of petitioners, to realize the love and righteousness in China, and to promote the rule of law in China, we hereby establish Petitioners’ Rights Attorneys (Chinese Petitioners’ Rights Defense Association).  We expect the enthusiastic support and active participation from our mentors and friends in the legal community.  The following is the list of names of members of Petitioners’ Rights Attorneys (Arranged in the alphabetical order of the first initial of their last names in Pinyin):
Name                    Telephone No           Email addresses
Bai Dongping         13611155064
Fan Yafeng             13651319865           fanyafeng@shengshan.org
Hu Shigen              13681546847           hushigen3000@gmail.com
Jiang Tianyong      13001010856          Jiangtianyong@globe-law.com
Li Hai                       15911115604          Lihai89@gmail.com
Li Subin                   15811200660          Lisubin21891@163.com
Tang Jitian              13161302848          jitiantang@yahoo.com.cn
Wu Chenglian        15801684621          wuchenglian@gongfa.com
Yang Huiwen          13681108292          Yanghw2009@gmail.com
Zhao Changqing    13581616696          yougooood@gmail.com
ChinaAid thanks these brave legal defenders for their work, and publicly supports the Chinese Petitioners’ Rights Defense Association. We look forward to working with them in the future to promote rule of law and a stronger, more harmonious civil society in China.