Two renowned Chinese lawyers could lose their licences after offering to act for some of the Tibetans involved in the country's recent turmoil.

" … "Beijing is trying to intimidate the legal profession by suspending these two lawyers and threatening not to renew many licences," said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. "The goals are to deter lawyers from representing human rights cases, and to deter firms from employing lawyers who want those cases." … "

The department in charge of renewals has so far refused to renew the professional licences of Beijing-based lawyers Teng Biao and Jiang Tianyong. The final possible date for a renewal is tomorrow, May 31.

Teng Biao and Jiang Tianyong, who are known for their work on civil and human rights cases, are among 18 lawyers who offered to provide legal help to the several hundred Tibetans detained after protests in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa in March.

Respect for the law

In an open letter, in April, the 18 lawyers said they hoped authorities would handle Tibetan detainees in accordance with the constitution, laws and due process. "We hope that they will prevent coerced confessions, respect judicial independence and show respect for the law."

So far only one group of Tibetan defendants are known to have been prosecuted – under official instructions to proceed to "quick prosecutions and sentencing". The defendants, who went before a Lhasa court in April, had been tried covertly in the preceding weeks without the benefits of choosing their legal counsel, says Human Rights Watch.

Justice it seems has no place in China.