Chinese lawyers punished for trying to help Tibetans
Chinese lawyers who offered voluntary legal support for Tibetans charged with involvement in the protests that erupted in Tibet in March have been denied renewal of their licenses. At least three of the original group of Chinese lawyers who offered their services to the Tibetans may now lose the ability to practice law in China.
At a news conference in Hong Kong yesterday, China Human Rights Lawyers’ Concern Group chairman Albert Ho identified the three lawyers as Teng Biao and Li Heping from Beijing and Zhang Jiankang from the northern city of Xian.
However, according to an AP report, “he also said there were others whom he didn’t want to name because he didn’t want to jeopardize their status.”
Also on Friday, Human Rights Watch spoke about two of the lawyers, Teng Biao and Zhang Jiankang, which they say have “distinguished records of defending civil and human rights cases:”
“Beijing is trying to intimidate the legal profession by suspending these two lawyers and threatening not to renew many licenses,” said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Beijing is trying to intimidate the legal profession by suspending these two lawyers and threatening not to renew many licenses,” said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “The goals are to deter lawyers from representing human rights cases, and to deter firms from employing lawyers who want those cases. Human Rights Watch. “The goals are to deter lawyers from representing human rights cases, and to deter firms from employing lawyers who want those cases.”
Although the Chinese government and its supporters like to claim that Tibetans have rights under Chinese law and that the Chinese constitution China’s autonomy laws protect Tibetans this is clearly not the case. There is no true rule of law in China or Tibet. Tibetans are at the mercy of the Chinese authorities and the “law” is only used when and however it suits them. As it is, a “fair trial” for a Chinese person is unlikely if it means going up against the government or government interests. Just look at what happened to Hu Jia. The idea that a Tibetan could actually receive a “fair trial” in a case involving “separatism” is laughable.
And so now Tibetans are being tried and convicted behind closed doors with secret evidence. As long as China remains a one-party state where “rule of law” is designed only to preserve the power of the Communist Party, nobody can help them– not even the most brilliant and courageous Chinese lawyers. For them, and any other person in China considering advocating for the rights of Tibetans within the system, the message from the authorities is clear: “Stay away from Tibet or you will pay.”
I have a simple message too for the Chinese lawyers Teng Biao, Li Heping, and Zhang Jiankang. It is a small consolation but I can assure you that I and many others deeply appreciate your courage – and unfortunately, your sacrifice – to see that justice is served.
Posted: May 31st, 2008 under News.
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Comments: 6
Comments
Comment from ZhouXiu
Time: June 2, 2008, 3:13 pm
I am totally for the right of Tibetans to get fair judge. It is an oppotunity for government reformation and I will give all my support to those lawyers if and whenever needed.
It is not the only time and not only Hu Jia. newspapers and the media has been critising the corruption and power abuse for many years and PM Wen and other sensible officials from Beijing have lauched a lot of policies to avoid corruptions. Big worms have been pulled out every year. But the main conflict lies between the local officials and the central government. The former are desperately trying to abuse/corrupt as well as cover from the latter ones notice.
Comment from ZhouXiu
Time: June 3, 2008, 3:09 pm
Hey you are quite good at choosing comments dont you! I just wanted leave a message to Tenzin! You dont publish all my comments? fine! At least tell him/her I am keeping my word, thx!
Comment from Tenzin
Time: June 9, 2008, 4:18 pm
I just lost what I was furiously typing for the last hour or so by some glitch of the computer. Now, it is really going to take some perseverance on my part to pretty much write all that stuff again.
ZhouXiu, I think that you are absolutely correct about what you said. It is really great that you have an interest in this.
1. Lack of Leadership
Recently on National Public Radio, a Tibetan woman who lives in Delhi was interviewed for an hour. It was not a very interesting interview. She lacked any credible knowledge on the Tibet issue. She had a glancing knowledge of the Tibet issue but nothing in depth. And as a result of that, the interview wasnot very interesting but she made some good points. One thing that she said was that Tibetans lack any real leaders and that we desperately need prominet leaders. And i think that it is very true what she said. Tibetans really lack any real leaders-some one who we can say, he or she is the one who defines our movement. We have leaders here and there, some prominent and some not so, but all in all we don’t have any one leader that we can all look up to. Except I might add HH the Dalai lama, but he is quite beyond our realm and he is not really the leader we seek, I think. I remember that i heard someone say, “We need political leaders.” We need a leader that is not afraid to get his hands dirty. We need a leader that is educated and know backwards the issues that surround Tibet. We need a leader that is well-spoken, and confiidant, and empathetic. I read somewhere that there are two kinds of ambitious people: one’s that want to become something and one’s that want to do something. We definitely want leaders who want to do something and are not wrapped-up in an ego trip.
So, the reasons are quite clear why we don’t have a leader that we can all look up to. Leaders are not common otherwise every Tom, Dick and Harry would be a leader. And this actually dovetails nicely with the importance of education of young Tibetans. Colleges and Universities and even schools in the US proclaim in their brocures or on their websites that they are cultivation the Leaders of Tomorrow. It is not different for our schools in India. Our schools in India are cultivating our leaders of tomorrow and it therefore is our duty to ensure that they get the the best damn education possible.
America is the great melting pot and it is called that not just by some accident. There are countless Americans here of Chinese ancestory, but they rarely identify themselves with China. These 2nd, and 3rd and so forth, Chinese Americans are products of America and they areAmericans 100% body and soul. Such is the corrupting power of America. Today, Tibetan kids who are born in America can barely speak Tibetan. Do you think that there is any hope with the next generationa and the next and so on. This I dare say is not good for Tibet. America has this abilty to change you into one of its own. Take a look at the African Americans. They don’t have nothing to do with Africa.
Welcome to America.
2.A democratic China is little hope for Tibet
Judging from what America is doing right now, we can be assured that a more democratic China will be no more a boon for Tibet than it is right now. America is the greatest democracy in the world and in 2003 it invaded Iraq unilateraly and illegaly. The Americans were powerless to stop America from invading Iraq. The government ultimately had more power than the people. in the future , the people of a democratic China will have little say in what happens in China, it seems like. In America, we live in a culture of propaganda. The American government was able to make up the existance of weapons of mass destruction to invade Iraq. There is no less propaganda in America than there is in China; that statement would almost be true.
The democratising of China is great for China but it is not just that great for the future of Tibet. There is no doubt that there is going to be a lot of propaganda in China in the future, so eventhough if we have a knowledgable populace, it is not unthinkable that China will brutally supress any uprising in Tibet.
3. What to do
Protest are great. They keep the Tibetan issue fresh in teh minds of people and let themknow that we care about Tibet. But protest alone will not accomplish everything. We have to be cognizant of events occuring throughout the world. Recently an English-man teaching a class asked teh whole lot of 25 or 30 Tibetans, if we knew when the Berlin Wall came down. Not a single one of us was even close. It was in December of 1981. Do we know what is going on in Darfur. or Cuba or Russia or Nepal etc. We as a people need to be more aware of global events, then we will know that we are not the only people who are fighting for a casue.
Let me just state that fighting with China will not yield anything. We don’t have teh people or the intelligence or anything. We are even worse than Al Quida. I am sure you remember these people doing monkey bars and running and doing crude exercises in their sandals. Well, we are not even close to Al Quida, so fighthing China is out of the question. Fighting is obviously teh easiest thing to do, so I am sure when a lot of young Tibetans are overwhelmed, they think of fighting as a last resort. If we fight them, theywill destroy any army of ours in a matter of days.
By the way, Lhadon, you have probably done more for the Tibetan movement than many of us will ever do in our dreams.
But that is not to say that we have accomplished anything. It might take a long time, but on the way we should be the best people that we can be. Let us not aspire to just make money. let us not be a people without depth. And let us not be a people that can not get along with each other. “Who will save the people” was teh question that the young Karmapa asked. The people will save the people is the correct answer and the responsibilty of that falls on each one of us.
(I think that is enough rhetoric for today. I will do better in the future.)
Comment from ZhouXiu
Time: June 12, 2008, 1:35 pm
Hi Tenzin,
Glad to hear you again!!! I left a message that if you want to go to Tibet, remember i can help and i am keeping my promise!
I am very exhaused so just list my points here, I ma get u wrong cause just scanned your comment.
1, a large number of officials there in tibet are actually tibetans. a certain potio of them are more corrupted then any other ethics of Chinese. When comes to money, human is human.
2, an American/European/whatsoever democracy is not and will never be future of China. I heard someone for Singapore’s system. But true the future of tibet rigion is not only depend on Tibetan, it depends on the majority Chinese ppl’s P.O.V. given no violent uprising.
3. fully support ur last point.
no comment on your last paragragh
Comment from gogogo
Time: June 14, 2008, 9:02 am
ZhouXiu, dont go into trap that local government is bad, central government is good.
Comment from Tenzin
Time: June 14, 2008, 4:13 pm
ZhouXio,
It is nice to hear from you but some of your views really concern me. You do know that I am completely against the Human Right practices in Tibet, although I hold no grudge that China is economically improving by leaps and bounds. And you do know that what Lhadon is posting on this blog is objective facts and nothing more.
I want make to make a counterpoint to a point I made in the earlier post I made about democracy in China.
1. A Democratic China is favorable to the Tibetans
I said earlier that looking at what America did to Iraq, China mayin the future “attack” even after China becomes a much more democratic country. Well, the truth is that the American people were not able to stop their government from fighting an illegal war and an illegal occupation. But can it be said that the government of America won over the collective voice of the American people.
Looking at poll numbers, the war in Iraq is hugely unpupular. The popularity of President George W Bush is lower than any other president in history. (I cannot claim that is completely correct but it is close.) So, ultimately would you say that the people won or the government won. It is clear that the government won in waging the war but now it is clear that the people won. They want to end the war in Iraq, which most Americans see as unjust, and costly (both dollars and lives). And it has sullied its name in the rest of the world. The rest of the world has lost the respect of America. So, the conclusion is that, America waged an unpopular war and its people are not happy about it. It is important that the voices of the people be heard, because that is the very essence of a democracy. And because of the war, America has successfully tarnished its name and credibility around the world. it is really important that America has to face the scrutiny that it is facing right now, other wise does not leave a good precedent for other powers of the world.
China knows the repercussions if it behaves like America. So, going back to a more democratic China in the future, the government of China will not be able to do things that are unpopular. When the time comes that the majority of the people in China think that Tibet is an illegal occupation of China, the chances that Tibet will be a sovereign nation are great.
All of this, ofcourse, presumes that the Chinese people (in the future) are not blinded by their nationalistic fervor and they see that Tibet was independent country when the PRC occupied it in 1959. So, there you go.
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There are many many signs that the Chinese people are a very nationalistic people right now. I have read from many sources, including the NYT, and “China’s Great Train” that presently the Chinese are intoxicated with nationalistic fervor. Just think of how they reacted after the earthquake. I heard that people in villages put up signs outside their windows, and displayed banners of hope and encouragement for their hapless countrymen who became the victims of the quake. It was also incredible to see how they chanted in unison after the three-minutes of silence to pay homage to the victims. It was also incredible to see how many tens-of-thousands of Chinese volunteered, and donated food and clothing. And also how private businesses donated over a Billion dollars (by last months count). The general consensus seems to be that this terrible event inadvertently brought together the whole country as never before.
It is really great that the Chinese have shown solidarity after the recent quakes, but it raises a red flag for the Tibetan people. It leaves us wondering whether these same nationalistic people will ever change their views on Tibet even after they know the facts. That is something that we will have to wait and see.
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