Breaking: Lawyer Chen Jiangang, With Family and Two Friends, Seized by Armed Police in Yunnan

China Change, May 3, 2017

(Chen Jianggang’s video statement on March 3: “If I lose my freedom.”)

Lawyer Chen Jiangang (陈建刚), on a holiday driving tour with wife, two young children (six and three), and two friends, were detained in a police station in Jinghong, Yunnan (云南景洪) around 1:00 p.m. on May 3. Jinghong is part of Xishuangbanna (西双版纳), a popular tourist destination.

The two friends are Zhang Baocheng (张宝成) and Zhang’s wife Liu Juefan (刘珏帆).

Around 5:00 p.m., all six were taken away in vehicles by a dozen or so armed police, according to a handwritten note by Chen Jiangang, circulating on WeChat. The note said:

1. Before I signed [a list of confiscated belongings], no one showed me any proper warrant. 2. Many more of our personal belongings have been stolen from us. Chen Jiangang May 3, 2017

Lawyer Chen Jiangang has been the defense counsel for 709 lawyer Xie Yang since December, 2016, and published the Xie Yang torture transcripts on January 19, 2017. On March 1 and 2, the state media launched a massive campaign alleging that the torture of Xie Yang was a fabrication, involving not only lawyer Jiang Tianyong, but also Chen Jiangang.

Since then Chen Jiangang has been summoned for talks, and his former clients were interviewed by police looking for ways to frame Chen for possible retaliation. Indeed, he’s the most at-risk human rights lawyer since the kidnapping of Jiang Tianyong in November, 2016.

In a statement dated March 3, Chen said, “I have committed no crime. I will never, of my own volition, assent to any illegal interrogation, and nor will I level false charges against or attempt to frame anyone. Any written, oral, or video confession, self-degradation, or accusation against other people will only have been made under the circumstances that I have been deprived of liberty, am under duress, or am being tortured and threatened. Those are the only circumstances under which I could be forced to say such things, and none of them will be true.”

We call on the international media, human rights organizations, and diplomatic missions in Beijing to seek answers about the detention of lawyer Chen Jianggang, his family and friends, and the immediate release of them all.

Immediate action is crucial for his safety and that of his family.

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