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Human Rights Lawyer Cheng Hai Beaten by Police

Date: 2013-04-15

Cheng Hai, a prominent human rights lawyer known for handling politically sensitive cases – including defense of Falun Gong practitioners targeted by the Chinese government, was beaten by approximately ten uniformed police officers in the northeastern city of Dalian on April 12, according to reports. Cheng, who reportedly suffered injuries to his face and legs as a result of the beating, said that he plans to sue the local police for their actions.

Cheng Hai, a prominent human rights lawyer known for handling politically sensitive cases – including defense of Falun Gong practitioners targeted by the Chinese government – was beaten by approximately ten uniformed police officers in the northeastern city of Dalian on April 12, according to reports. Cheng, who reportedly suffered injuries to his face and legs as a result of the beating, said that he plans to sue the local police for their actions.

According to Cheng, the beating took place as he and a fellow lawyer stood outside a Dalian courthouse seeking an explanation for the sudden postponement of the trial of 13 Falun Gong practitioners. This incident is the latest example of the ongoing, systemic targeting by Chinese officials of human rights lawyers who take on politically sensitive cases. For more information, see the Committee to Support Chinese Lawyers’ report Legal Advocacy and the 2011 Crackdown in China: Adversity, Repression, and Resilience, available for download at:

http://www.csclawyers.org/letters/Legal%20Advocacy%20and%20the%202011%20Crackdown%20in%20China.pdf.