By Te-Ping Chen Dec. 2, 2016 7:30 a.m. ET
BEIJINGChinese authorities stripped a prominent human-rights lawyer of his license to practice law, the latest in the governments efforts to rein in legal activists. The Justice Bureau in the provincial capital of Jinan said in a notice dated Friday that it was suspending Li Jinxings legal license for one year for his behavior in court while defending Yang Maodong. Mr. Yang, better known by his pen name Guo Feixiong, is a free-speech activist who was sentenced to six years in prison late last year for disturbing public order and provoking trouble. He had displayed banners calling on officials to disclose their assets. According to the notice, Mr. Li made statements without the courts permission, interrupted a judge, verbally attacked court officials and interfered with the normal order of the court. As a consequence, the statement said, his license is being suspended for a year. Mr. Li is well-known in legal and human rights circles for his advocacy for civil liberties. He is a founder of the Innocence Project of China, which has successfully fought to overturn some half-a-dozen wrongful convictions in China in recent years and whose work was the subject of a Page One article in The Wall Street Journal in July. Mr. Li said he hadnt decided whether he would appeal the ruling and didn't otherwise comment. The Justice Bureau didn't respond to a request for further comment. Its statement said Mr. Li has three days to apply for a hearing on the removal of his license. Since assuming office, Chinese President Xi Jinping has made a push for rule of law one of his signature initiatives. At the same time, his government has waged a campaign against human-rights lawyers. In July 2015, authorities detained or interrogated more than 200 lawyers and legal activists, some two dozen of whom were later arrested. It appears the government has just become increasingly intolerant of anyone challenging its power, said Maya Wang, China researcher for the nonprofit Human Rights Watch. Despite the promise of President Xis rule of law, these lawyers who are basically fighting to promote the rule of law on the ground are being punished. Write to Te-Ping Chen at [email protected]
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