China Voice: Do not mistake law enforcement for rights crackdown

This week's arrest of lawyers suspected of breaching laws for personal profits in China is nothing more than a legitimate law enforcement action, and should not be interpreted as a human rights issue.

Western critics are all steamed up after Chinese police authorities announced Wednesday the apprehension of a group of lawyers, social media celebrities and petitioners alike for allegedly disrupting public order and seeking profits by illegally organizing paid protests and swaying court decisions in the name of "defending justice and public interests."

Lawyers should never have to suffer prosecution or any other kind of sanctions or intimidation for "discharging their professional duties," some claimed. Others blame the "ferocity" of the attack against rights lawyers.

Few, however, seem to bother whether the "discharging of professional duties" by the arrested lawyers, many of whom belong to the Beijing-based Fengrui Law Firm, was in line with Chinese laws.

Lawyers breaking laws is hardly unheard of in any country. Every year, a number of lawyers are reported to have been arrested for suspected crimes such as forging immigration documents or swindling money from clients.

But when similar incidents happened in China, things will often be raised up to a political level as suppression of rights activists.

Whether the actions of the apprehended lawyers are punishable by law is a decision to be made by, and only by, the Chinese courts.

A police report detailing the confessions of some of those arrested may offer some clues.

Police officer Li Lebin shot dead Xu Chunhe on May 2 at a Railway Station in northeast China. Video clips showed Xu attacked Li several times and was shot after multiple warnings failed. The court also decided the police's shooting is lawful.

But these lawyers spread rumors that Li opened fire at Xu under the order of an official because Xu was a petitioner, according to the report. By turning such a matter into a politically hot issue, they attempted to amass celebrity and money.

Zhai Yanmin, a major organizer of the suspects group led by Fengrui Law Firm, admitted after police investigation that it was a delicate plot to hype up the incident.

Soon after the shooting, lawyers began spreading "police kill petitioner" rumor on the internet, and organize online celebrities to repost. Zhai then hired "petitioners" to shout slogans, sit quietly and raise defiant signs to support the lawyers.

According to one suspect surnamed Li, she was paid 600 yuan (about 98 U.S. dollars) for carrying a protest banner.

Other members of the firm include Liu Sixin, who was once imprisoned and does not even have a lawyer qualification; Wang Yu, who had for several times roughhoused at courts and Wang Quanzhang, who even have difficulties in speaking, according to Zhai.

Zhai also confessed in the police report that they would launch online donation to raise money once they turn an incident hot and sometimes they would get funds from overseas.

If the confessions are true, their actions would hardly win any sympathy in a law-based society, let alone support for their release.

By hastily equating "lawyers" with "justice" and "Chinese police" with "oppression", Western critics trampled on basic principle of law, that every one is equal.

Lawyers are supposed to be law advocates. But that job title does not automatically make them guardian angels incorruptible by desires and allures.

Righteous lawyers deserve respect as they are expected to bring justice and hope. But those who lose professional ethics can be very dangerous as they know so well the law.

Critics should first get the facts right, get to the bottom of the problem before embarrassing themselves in another unavailing episode of finger-pointing, because after all, the arrest of lawless lawyers is nothing more than a legal issue. Endit