Global call grows to hold China accountable for '709' crackdown

As Amnesty International signed on to a joint statement ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the ‘709’ crackdown on human rights lawyers in China, the organization’s China Director Sarah Brooks said: "The 709 Crackdown led to the unjust prosecution and persecution some of China’s most diligent human rights lawyers and legal activists, but it was just the start of a decade-long assault on human rights and the rule of law that shows no signs of abating today."

“Many of the lawyers targeted 10 years ago continue to risk imprisonment and to face regular harassment and harsh restrictions on their rights – disrupting not only their daily lives, but also those of their families, including their children," Brooks said.

“The deterioration of the human rights situation in China since the 709 Crackdown is no coincidence. Beijing’s attack on the legal profession helped facilitate a broader and more sustained attack on human rights, affecting how LGBTI individuals can find community, how workers can seek remedy, and how women, migrants and persons with disabilities can combat violence and discrimination," Brooks said.

“This ongoing deterioration underlines the inadequacy of the international response to the 709 Crackdown. This 10-year milestone must remind governments around the world to urge their Chinese counterparts to ensure the freedom and fair treatment of all lawyers targeted simply for doing the jobs they had trained for," Brooks said.

As per Amnesty International website, the “709” crackdown marked a significant increase in Chinese President and Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping’s assault on independent civil society, and particularly towards the fledgling community of lawyers who sought to find redress for legal and social issues through the court system.