HK Detainees' Lawyer Forcibly Dragged Into Hearing

A mainland lawyer hired by family members of the 12 Hongkongers captured in mainland waters by the Guangdong coast guard last year was forcibly dragged into a hearing on Wednesday to decide whether he should be stripped of his licence.

Lu Siwei is accused by Sichuan authorities of repeatedly making inappropriate remarks on the internet, seriously damaging the image of the legal sector, and having an adverse impact on society.

As he and his two legal representatives arrived at the Chengdu Justice Bureau on Wednesday morning, they were surrouded by around a dozen people, who dragged Lu into the venue.

Others, including a number of human rights lawyers and supporters who wanted to attend the hearing, were taken away by police.

Lu complained on Tuesday that he was being harassed by officials, saying two cars suddenly drove up and blocked his way when he was about to leave home.

Besides Lu, another mainland lawyer who was hired to represent the 12 Hong Kong detainees, Ren Quanniu, is to face a similar hearing on Thursday.

The families of the 12 Hongkongers have condemned what they said was clear oppression by the mainland authorities, alleging that the action against the lawyers is retribution for their attempted involvement in the detainees' case.

The Hongkongers were never represented by these lawyers, and were instead assigned lawyers by the mainland authorities.

In December, 10 of the 12 were jailed for between seven months and three years for illegally crossing into mainland waters during an apparent bid to flee to Taiwan. The youngest two members of the group were brought back to Hong Kong.