The Rights Practice

Joint Statement: Disbarment against Hong Kong lawyer Kevin Yam On 3 September 2025, The Rights Practice and seven other organisations issued a joint statement to express their grave concern over the disciplinary proceedings and disbarment of Hong Kong solicitor K...

4/ Read our joint statement, published on 3 September, which expressed our grave concern over the disciplinary proceedings and subsequent disbarment of Kevin Yam. www.rights-practice.org/news/joint-s...

3/ "States must guarantee that those who practice law can do so free from intimidation, obstacles, harassment or interference... Their function is key to the right to a fair trial." @keviinkfyam.bsky.social @unsr-judges.bsky.social @irene-khan.bsky.social

2/ The experts said: "This is a new retaliation and an alarming assault on freedom of expression and lawyers’ rights to practice their profession and express their views in line with international standards"

UN experts condemn reprisals against Hong Kong lawyer Kevin Yam GENEVA – UN experts* today expressed alarm that lawyer Kevin Yam (Yam Kin Fung) was disbarred and financially penalised on 16 July 2025 in direct connection with public statements he made about the in...

1/ On 3 October 2025, UN experts expressed alarm that lawyer Kevin Yam (Yam Kin Fung) was disbarred and financially penalised on 16 July 2025 in direct connection with public statements he made about the independence of judges and prosecutors in Hong Kong www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

Joint letter: Systemic abuses in Hong Kong's prisons On 30 September 2025, The Rights Practice signed a joint letter, along with 52 other rights groups, to urgently raise serious concerns regarding systemic abuses occurring in Hong Kong's prisons.

We, along with 52 other rights groups, signed a joint letter to urgently raise serious concerns with Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, regarding systemic abuses occurring inside Hong Kong’s prisons. www.rights-practice.org/news/joint-l... @thecfhk.bsky.social

UN Chief warns of rising transnational repression against human rights defenders ISHR welcomes the inclusion in the report of the case of Basma Mostafa, a woman human rights defender and journalist from Egypt who is subject to targeted transnational repression (TNR).

UN Chief warns of rising transnational repression against human rights defenders

These acts are directly aimed at individuals and organisations engaging with the United Nations, and in some cases, their family members and colleagues.

#UN #HumanRights Office expresses deep concern over citizen journalist #ZhangZhan ’s 4-year sentence for the vague charge of “picking quarrels.” The High Commissioner calls for its repeal and an immediate moratorium on its use.
👉 www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

COVID-19 journalist Zhang Zhan will be tried this week in China, RSF calls on international community to act Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan spent four years in prison for breaking some of the earliest COVID-19 stories from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus took hold. Now, she is about to be tried in the...

Diplomats & journalists were barred from #ZhangZhan’s trial today, as the regime concealed all details of the proceedings. A chilling reminder of how far 🇨🇳 will go to suppress access to independent information. We renew our call: Zhang Zhan must be freed. This persecution must end. #FreeZhangZhan

Arbitrary detention & enforced disappearance silence defenders in 🇨🇳 China.
Hear from experts, incl. Mary Lawlor, Rizwangul NurMuhammed, Sophie Richardson & Yalkun Uluyol.
🗓️ 9 Sept | ⏰ 1–2pm | 📍Palais des Nations, Room VIII
#HRC57 #StandUp4HumanRights

Joint Statement: Disbarment against Hong Kong lawyer Kevin Yam On 3 September 2025, The Rights Practice and seven other organisations issued a joint statement to express their grave concern over the disciplinary proceedings and disbarment of Hong Kong solicitor K...

The Rights Practice & 7 other organisations issue joint statement to express grave concern over disciplinary proceedings and disbarment of Hong Kong solicitor Kevin Yam.

tinyurl.com/3nyamfnd

@thelawsociety.bsky.social @asianlawyersn.bsky.social @lawyersforlawyers.bsky.social @ibahri.bsky.social

Joint statement on #KevinYam’s disbarment
@lawyersforlawyers.bsky.social @thelawsociety.bsky.social @rightspractice.bsky.social @ibahri.bsky.social

Attn: @unsr-judges.bsky.social

Disbarment and reprisals against Hong Kong lawyer Kevin Yam amid a broader pattern of intimidation of lawyers defending the rule of law - Lawyers for Lawyers Find PDF version here Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L), the Law Society of England and Wales (LSEW), the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), the Council of Bars and Law…

🚨 Concern over #disbarment and #reprisals against #HongKong lawyer #KevinYam

In a joint letter, we call on Chinese authorities to respect his rights and reverse his disbarment: www.lawyersforlawyers.org?p=39514&prev...

Chinese courts can bar even those not accused of crimes from leaving the country Both foreign executives and political dissidents have been affected

Good to see coverage of this underreported practice of exit bans in China. In the case of critics the police cite national security and there may be no role for the court.

economist.com/china/2025/0...
from The Economist

UN Special Rapporteur: China must uphold the rights of imprisoned human rights defenders GENEVA – China must uphold the rights of imprisoned human rights defenders, including by ensuring that they are not subjected to torture or ill-treatment, a UN expert said today.“I have been disturbed...

“The Special Rapporteur expressed disappointment that despite her requests 4 updates on any investigations in2 Gao Zhisheng’s disappearance, no information has thus far been provided, & renewed her appeal to the Chinese authorities to establish his fate & whereabouts.”

www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

Despite repeated efforts by #GaoZhisheng 's family and fellow activists, including raising his case at the #UN #HumanRights Council, the #China govt has never admitted to holding him. His location and status remain unknown.
www.nchrd.org/2025/08/chin...

Report: When the State Makes you Work In July 2025, The Rights Practice published an important new report: "When the State Makes you Work. The use of state-imposed forced labour in China".

READ our important new report: When the State Makes you Work. The use of state-imposed forced labour in China.

State-imposed forced labour is a systemic practice in China using both the state’s powers to detain and to assign labour.

www.rights-practice.org/news/report-...

Beginning July 9, 2015, Chinese police arrested over 300 human rights lawyers and advocates in a nationwide operation known as the “709 crackdown.”

In the decade since, authorities have subjected many of them to surveillance, harassment, public shaming, and collective punishment. bit.ly/4lfbzkn

‘709’ Today is the 10th anniversary of China’s crackdown on its courageous human rights lawyers. I remember the sinking feeling as I learned in the days that followed of lawyers being disappeared without any due process. Friends imprisoned and tortured in RSDL.

The repression continues.

ALN @asianlawyersn.bsky.social joined 30 other organisations to issue this joint statement to mark the 10th anniversary of #709Crackdown.

China’s human rights lawyers speak out, 10 years after crackdown In 2015, a nationwide campaign rounded up hundreds of rights advocates. Since then, suppression has become more systematic and less visible, lawyers say

China’s human rights lawyers speak out, 10 years after crackdown

@chrdnet.bsky.social @amnesty.org @article19.bsky.social @asianlawyersn.bsky.social @freedomhouse.bsky.social @hrichina.bsky.social @hrw.org @safeguarddefenders.bsky.social

Joint statement: Call for international action, ten years after "709" crackdown On 7 July 2025, The Rights Practice, and 30 other organisations, urge the United Nations to establish an independent, international investigation into Beijing’s persecution of civil society, ten years...

On 7 July 2025, The Rights Practice & 30 other orgs issue joint statement to mark 10 years since "709" crackdown. We call on concerned governments and the United Nations to establish an independent, international investigation into Beijing’s persecution of civil society. tinyurl.com/5dnezenw

3/ The Committee is due to review China again soon. Little appears to have improved over the past ten years, and there is still no overall definition of torture in Chinese criminal law that accords with Article 1 in the CAT.

2/ The Committee Against Torture, in its last review of China in 2015, stated that it was seriously concerned over consistent reports that torture and ill-treatment is deeply entrenched in the criminal system.

International Day in Support of Victims of Torture | United Nations The UN General Assembly proclaimed 26 June the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, with a view to the total eradication of torture and the effective functioning of the C...

1/ Today, 26 June, is International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Torture is absolutely prohibited and cannot be justified under any circumstances. The systematic or widespread practice of torture constitutes a crime against humanity.

www.un.org/en/observanc...

#NiuTengyu was just 20 when #China govt detained him for maintaining a website #XiJinping wanted shut down. Today, on Intl Day in Support of Victims of Torture, imagine what this young tech talent could be creating right now—if he weren't still behind bars facing abuse.
📔 tenchu.org/pocd/public/...

Five victims of the 1989 June Fourth Massacre

The Tiananmen Mothers have issued the following statement on the 36th anniversary of the June Fourth (Tiananmen) Massacre. Read the English version here, translated by HRIC: open.substack.com/pub/hrichina...

@rightspractice.bsky.social is proud to have helped bring this exhibition and the accompanying events together.

HK's independent news sector faces simultaneous tax audits, demands Hong Kong's independent news sector, including companies, staff and family members, are facing simultaneous tax audits and backdated demands, a press union says.

Hong Kong's independent news sector, including companies, staff and family members, are facing simultaneous tax audits and backdated demands, a press union says. In full: buff.ly/pYdy0Jo

A very sobering report of being imprisoned in China. It chimes with everything that I and @rightspractice.bsky.social have heard from other former prisoners, including unsafe convictions.