China tightens political control over lawyers, embeds CCP loyalty in national law

Beijing [China], September 2 (ANI): China has further tightened its control over the legal profession by formally making support for the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) a statutory qualification for lawyers, turning a requirement that had previously existed mainly under administrative regulations into national law, as reported by The Epoch Times.
According to The Epoch Times, the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress approved amendments to the Lawyers Law on August 28, with the changes taking effect from September 1.
The revised law requires lawyers to uphold China's Constitution, support CCP leadership and adhere to the country's socialist rule-of-law system.
The previous legislation required prospective lawyers to pass the national legal qualification examination, complete a one-year internship, support the Constitution and maintain good character. It did not explicitly identify support for CCP leadership as a separate statutory qualification.
The amendment also introduces provisions requiring lawyers to follow CCP leadership and implement party and state policies and decisions while carrying out their professional duties.
Law firms will also be required to establish CCP organisations in accordance with party rules and provide resources and facilities for their activities.
The latest changes formalise requirements that had already been imposed through Ministry of Justice regulations introduced in 2018 and implemented in 2019.
Those rules required law firms with at least three CCP members to establish party organisations and mandated arrangements for smaller firms to conduct party-building activities.
The legislation comes after years of increasing pressure on lawyers handling cases considered politically sensitive by Chinese authorities, as highlighted by The Epoch Times.
The 2015 "709 Crackdown" resulted in more than 300 lawyers, legal assistants and rights advocates being detained, questioned or otherwise targeted.
Some were prosecuted on national-security charges, while others lost their professional licences.
The crackdown also affected lawyers' families, who reported surveillance, travel restrictions and pressure from authorities, as reported by The Epoch Times. (ANI)