The Beijing Judicial Bureau has taken away the legal licenses of Jiang Tianyoung and Teng Biao. They were no longer allowed to renew their legal licenses. Why? Both activist lawyers had offered to represent the Tibetans that were recently arrested in a security sweep.
According to the bureau, the case was “sensitive” at best. This case had a lot to do of human rights violations at the hands of the Chinese government. China’s human rights record is known to be one of the issues that loom over the country in a potential PR nightmare as it is set to host the 2008 Summer Olympics in its capital of Beijing. According to the bureau, the disbarring of Jiang and Teng was necessary as part of tightening security measures.
Both lawyers offered to represent the Tibetans arrested after the March 14 riots. It is known that the issue of Tibet will also play in what could hurt the Olympics in Beijing. China has tried to keep the games and the politics separate. However, this was easier said than done.
So far, the move to disbar Jiang and Teng has been condemned by human rights groups. But, it is unknown how long the two lawyers will be disbarred for. It could be expected that more lawyers are at risk of getting their licenses revoked for providing legal help to the Tibetans.
This reinforces that the issue of China’s human rights record and the issue of Tibet will affect the Olympics this August.
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