The Chinese Lawyers Group initiated the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the "Jiansanjiang Incident"

In 2014, authorities in Jiansanjiang, Heilongjiang Province, detained a group of Falun Gong practitioners in a local farm. Several human rights lawyers rushed to the rescue but were detained by the authorities. Afterwards, the lives of these lawyers changed dramatically. On the eve of the tenth anniversary of the "Jiansanjiang Incident", the Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Group launched a commemorative event to draw attention to the current situation of human rights lawyers.

The Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Group initiated the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the "Jian Sanjiang Incident"

Lawyers and family members were intercepted during the Jiansanjiang case sentencing. The parties appealed against the verdict.

In March 2014, four human rights lawyers including Tang Jitian and Jiang Tianyong, accompanied by their family members, went to a farm in Jiansanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province, to demand that the authorities release the Falun Gong practitioners and petitioners detained there.

At that time, China's labor reeducation system had been abolished. Lawyers believe that there is no legal basis for the authorities to establish a so-called "legal education base" on the farm. Upon arrival, more than a dozen of them were administratively detained by the police and fined.

The incident caused a strong response. Human rights lawyers and hundreds of citizens from all over the country went to the area to express support. With the exposure of the incident and the pressure of international public opinion, the "legal education base" established by the authorities collapsed. Many officials were sacked one after another.

Wu Shaoping: Lawyers and citizens work together to exert greater power

Wu Shaoping, a lawyer from the China Human Rights Lawyers Group, said that the "Jiansanjiang incident" proved that lawyers and citizens can exert greater power together.

Wu Shaoping: "Human rights lawyers are at the forefront, mainly using the law as a weapon to fight against the authorities. Helping clients defend their rights requires a lot of costs. Citizens raise funds for human rights lawyers and also actively participate in the onlookers. Citizens' attention has formed a certain degree of The social effect made the incident widely spread and created very strong pressure from public opinion."

Wu Shaoping (pictured), a lawyer with the China Human Rights Lawyers Group, said that the "Jiansanjiang incident" proved that lawyers and citizens can exert greater power together.  (Exclusively provided by Wu Shaoping, shooting date unknown)

Wu Shaoping (pictured), a lawyer with the China Human Rights Lawyers Group, said that the "Jiansanjiang incident" proved that lawyers and citizens can exert greater power together. (Exclusively provided by Wu Shaoping, shooting date unknown)

On the eve of the 10th anniversary of the "Jiansanjiang Incident", the Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Group issued a proposal , inviting people familiar with the matter to share their experiences and thoughts, and talk about the current situation of China's rule of law.

Wu Shaoping: "This incident is typical and representative, and has great social significance. If the people directly involved in this incident can tell their stories, more people will understand the ins and outs of the incident. In today's situation Under the current social situation, we hope that more people can still actively and bravely stand up, and that everyone can still be united."

The four human rights lawyers who were the first to go to Heilongjiang were all injured while being detained. Among them, Tang Jitian and Jiang Tianyong were the most seriously injured. Jiang Tianyong, who was once sentenced for inciting subversion, has been released for five years. However, he is still closely monitored by the authorities and has not been able to truly regain his freedom. Tang Jitian is also regarded as a key target for stability control and was recently detained by the Jilin authorities again.

Yu Pinjian, a human rights lawyer in Japan, said that the "Jiansanjiang Incident" changed the lives of several lawyers.

Yu Pinjian: "In the 'Jiansanjiang Incident', lawyer Tang Jitian had 10 ribs broken and had to be recuperated for a long time. Because of this incident, he was blacklisted (by the authorities), classified as a sensitive person, and his lawyer's license was revoked. During the 'Jiansanjiang Incident', Jiang Tianyong did not hesitate to be administratively detained in order to rescue illegally detained citizens. He also had eight broken ribs at that time."

Yu Pinjian said that Chinese human rights lawyers’ pursuit of human rights and the rule of law runs counter to the governing philosophy of the authorities. Under the current system, their professional environment cannot be improved.