Xu Yan, November 29, 2019 To the respected international lawyers participating in the Global Lawyers Forum: Greetings!  My name is Xu Yan (许艳), and I am the wife of Yu Wensheng (余文生), a Chinese human rights lawyer. When I learned that China will be hosting the Global Lawyers Forum in Guangzhou, on December 9-10, as a Chinese citizen –– especially as the wife of a Chinese lawyer –– I was extremely honored to see such an international gathering being held in my country.  After my husband Yu Wensheng lost his freedom, I’ve made approximately 50 trips in person to various government departments and sent about 200 submissions to supervisory departments at all levels, but I basically got no response. As powerful as China is, it […]

China Change, May 3, 2018     Every year, justice bureaus and lawyers’ associations across China demand that lawyers and law firms submit to a “annual review” (年检), held in spring each year, that determines whether they can continue to practice law in China. Ostensibly, these assessments are aimed at evaluating professional competence and merit — yet their primary function, as far as the authorities are concerned, appears to be aimed at keeping a tight leash on the lawyer class, designated by the authorities as the “opposition.” For more than a decade, it has been used as a tool of pressure to keep human rights lawyers at bay.   China Change recently obtained a copy of the 2018 annual assessment form provided to lawyers in […]