Wives Of Detained Chinese Rights Lawyers Petition Government
By UCA News
Ahead of China’s National Day celebrations, the relatives of several detained rights lawyers issued an open letter criticizing the government’s actions against them and their families, reports RFA.
“On the eve of the Oct. 1, 2016 National Day celebrations, we are taking our complaint to the Supreme People’s Procuratorate,” said the letter issued by the wives of four rights lawyers held by the authorities since July 2015.
“Why are we being smeared in the official media? Why aren’t we allowed to hire lawyers … for our husbands?” asked the letter posted on the rights website weiquanwang.org.
“Is it illegal for us to lodge a complaint over this slander by the media? Why are we being called in [by police] for questioning over this?”
The four wives were detained in Tianjin for 24 hours in June after protesting against their husbands’ detention, which is part of the communist government’s wider crackdown on rights defenders.
According to rights groups, the authorities have also targeted the lawyers’ families, with children not being allowed to attend school and or families being forced to move from their homes being some examples of the tactics used.
