'Wang Quanzhang's Case Shows Rot In Mainland System'

The vice-chairman of the China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, Cheung Yiu-leung, said on Tuesday that the mainland's treatment of human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang is a clear indication of a further deterioration of the country's legal system.

Wang, who was released last week after serving a four-and-a-half-year jail term for subversion charges, was not allowed to return to his home in Beijing and was instead escorted to the city of Jinan for "quarantine" over the coronavirus pandemic.

But Cheung, who's also a barrister, said the dissident lawyer appears to be under house arrest and believes he won't be freed anytime soon.

He said the mainland authorities' treatment of Wang was even worse than that of Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo, who died almost three years ago while in custody after he was convicted of subverting state power.

Liu was allowed defence lawyers and a proper trial. He even received a judgement signed by three judges, though it was a “lousy” ruling, said Cheung.

“The whereabouts where he served his sentence was known and visits by family were allowed. At least there was some rights there,” he said.

“In Wang Quanzhang’s case, it was a breach of all constitutional rights to the utmost. It was zero.”

“From the very day he disappeared, his whereabouts were unknown, access to family was [not allowed], access to a lawyer was nil. The family didn’t know if he was alive or not,” said the barrister. “This is horrible. This is an indefensible breach of his constitutional rights.”

Wang has not been freed even after his release and is kept under detention, said Cheung. “His freedom now is down to house arrest.”

He told RTHK’s Priscilla Ng that Hong Kong’s judiciary is also coming under tremendous pressure from the mainland authorities, but said the people, especially youngsters, will resist this.