Mr. Tang’s license to practice has not been renewed

Tang Jingling was a lawyer at the Huazhijie Law Firm prior to losing his license to practice in 2006. His clients have included villagers combating corruption; victims of counterfeit medicine and vaccinations; uncompensated victims of land grabs; and arrested rights defenders. Since disbarment, Mr. Tang has become a leading proponent of non-violent civil disobedience in China.

Tang Jingling, born in the 1970s, of Guangzhou, Guangdong Provence, was a lawyer at the Huazhijie Law Firm prior to losing his license to practice in 2006. His clients have included villagers combating corruption; children who suffered brain damage as a result of vaccinations; relatives of those killed by counterfeit medicines; uncompensated victims of land grabs; and arrested rights defenders, including Guo Feixiong. After being effectively disbarred, Mr. Tang has become a leading proponent and educator on the topic of non-violent civil disobedience in China.

On Feb. 2, 2006, Mr. Tang was working with activist Guo Feixiong on an election recall case in Taishi. As he left Mr. Guo’s residence, a group of unidentified men began to follow him; one of them hit him in the head from behind. The group surrounded him, hitting him and stomping on his feet, before he was able to reach a police station. The police refused to accept a complaint.

A few weeks later, in April of 2006, Mr. Tang lost his professional registration when the Hauzhijie Law Firm, under pressure from authorities, did not sponsor the renewal of his license to practice law.

After his disbarment, Mr. Tang has continued to be harassed by law enforcement officials. On Nov. 27, 2009, Mr. Tang was a guest lecturer at the Guangzhou College of Vocational Technology on the topic of internet censorship and Twitter. A member of the campus security force sat in on his class, eventually halting the lecture, arresting him, and taking him to the police station for interrogation. He was released after three hours of questioning.

On Sept. 18, 2010, Mr. Tang was briefly seized by local police and warned against participating in expected anti-Japan protests. On Nov. 24, he was detained for four hours at a security checkpoint before being released.

Last updated Feb. 28, 2011

Zan Aizong, “Rights Defense and ‘Non-Violent Non-Cooperation’,” Human Rights in China, available at http://www.hrichina.org/public/contents/article?revision_id=161425&item_id=161424.