ABSTRACT

One recent development in China that has attracted wide international attention is the allegation that lawyers in general and criminal defence lawyers in particular have been harassed, intimidated and prosecuted simply for doing their jobs. This abuse of rights is particularly disturbing not only because lawyers become victims, but also because the prosecution is taking place while the criminal justice system, including its human rights protection, is generally improving. The reported abuses have increased since the middle of the 1990s when China enacted the Lawyers Law, which authorises the creation of a selfgoverning legal profession, and the amendments of the Criminal Procedural Law (CPL) in 1996 and the Criminal Law (CL) in 1997, which are generally regarded as milestones in China's human rights development.