Well-known lawyer and activist Xu Zhiyong in prison for ‘tax evasion’
Well-known lawyer and activist Xu Zhiyong in prison for “tax evasion”
ICC Note:
A well-known Chinese human rights lawyer is being charged with “tax evasion” after spending three weeks in prison. In reality, Xu Zhiyong is just another human rights lawyer who refused to heed the “advice” of the Chinese Communist-controlled bar association to cease taking up “controversial” cases – such as those involving human rights. Please continue to pray for Christians in China as many believe China is stepping up measures against dissidents in preparation for October 1, the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
8/19/09 China (AsiaNews) After spending three weeks in prison Xu Zhiyong, a well-known Chinese human rights lawyer, was formally charged with tax evasion. This confirms what many experts fear, namely that the government is cracking down on human rights activists ahead of 1 October, the day of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, in order to prevent protests and dissent.
Mr Xu, who was seized from his home by security officials at dawn on 29 July, is the co-founder of Gongmeng, or Open Constitution Initiative, a free legal aid clinic for people who cannot pay for their legal defence.
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For many years now, China’s Communist-controlled bar association has been “advising” its members not to take up controversial cases such as these, especially when they involve the state or public agencies. Many lawyers who disregarded this “advice” lost their licence to practice.
Since the authorities refused to register Gongmeng as a non-profit organisation, Xu had to register it as a business. For this reason the authorities now accuse him of tax evasion for failing to pay 1.42 million yuan (US$ 195,000) in taxes. If he is convicted Xu could get up to seven years of prison. Meanwhile Gongmeng’s Beijing office and website have been shut down.