The Justice Bureau of Beijing Municipality released on its official website the first batch of Beijing law firms and lawyers being suspended from practice.

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The justice bureau  issued a list of human rights lawyers who failed to pass an annual performance review, and who will not have their licences re-registered. According to the list these lawyers “failed their assessments”. The list includes at least 20 prominent human rights lawyers : Jiang Tiangyong, Li Heping, Li Xiongbing, Li Chunfu, Wang Yajun, Guo Shaofei, Cheng Hai, Tang Jitian, Yang Huiwen, Tong Chaoping, Liu Guitao, Xie Yanyi, Wen Haibo, Liu Wei, Zhang Lihui, Zhang Chengmao, Zhang Xingshui, Wei Liangyue, Sun Wenbing and Liu Shihui.

Without a license, lawyers are restricted in their ability to represent those seeking to obtain justice and redress for human rights violations.Six lawyers from the Beijing Globe Law Firm, including well-known human rights lawyer Li Chunfu, are among those whose licenses were not renewed when they expired at the end of last month.

There are more than 140,000 lawyers and 14,000 law firms in China but only a small proportion take the risk of taking on cases involving human rights violations, including providing legal aid to Tibetans who were detained in connection with the March 2008 protests. Others cases these lawyers worked on involved Falun Gong practitioners, human rights defenders detained for peacefully exercising their freedom of expression and families of victims affected by the baby milk powder scandal.

There were in total of 53 lawyers whose practice licenses were invalidated   in accordance to articles 23(1)(3) and 23(1)(4) of Methods for the Management of Lawyers’ Practice.  

 The office  of the Gongmeng rights group's legal research center after it was closed down by Chinese authorities in Beijing, China, on July 17, 2009. About 20 officials from Beijing's Civil Affairs Bureau showed up  at the center and confiscated computers and other equipment, the latest move in a new government push to oversee Chinese activist lawyers, who run the risk of being detained, harassed, attacked and threatened with disbarment for their work.

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Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China
The State Council General Office
2 Fuyouije, Xichengqu
Beijingshi 100017
People’s Republic of China

Minister of Justice of the People's Republic of China
WU Aiying Buzhang
Sifabu, 10 Chaoyangmen Nandajie
Chaoyangqu
Beijingshi 100020
People's Republic of China

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