Yitong Law Firm
Encyclopedia
Yitong Law Firm is a law firm
in the People's Republic of China
engaged in defense of human rights
. Its clients include Hu Jia
and Chen Guangcheng
. In February 2009 Chinese authorities announced that the firm would be shut down for six months, ostensibly because an unlicensed lawyer was practicing there. The accused lawyer, Li Subin, was a former deputy director of the firm who had been denied the chance to renew his professional license by the provincial authorities in Henan
after he had successfully sued the Henan judicial bureau for overcharging. The managing partner of the firm, Li Jinsong, denied that Li Subin had engaged in the practice of law claiming he was only engaged in administrative duties and charged that the government authorities "are distorting facts ... to get revenge" for the way the firm's lawyers have criticized or defied government agencies.
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
engaged in defense of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. Its clients include Hu Jia
Hu Jia (activist)
Hu Jia is an activist and dissident in the People's Republic of China. His work has focused on the Chinese democracy movement, Chinese environmentalist movement, and HIV/AIDS in the People's Republic of China...
and Chen Guangcheng
Chen Guangcheng
Chen Guangcheng is a blind civil rights activist in the People's Republic of China who drew international attention to human rights issues in rural areas. He was placed under house arrest from September 2005 to March 2006 after talking to Time magazine about the forced abortion cases he...
. In February 2009 Chinese authorities announced that the firm would be shut down for six months, ostensibly because an unlicensed lawyer was practicing there. The accused lawyer, Li Subin, was a former deputy director of the firm who had been denied the chance to renew his professional license by the provincial authorities in Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
after he had successfully sued the Henan judicial bureau for overcharging. The managing partner of the firm, Li Jinsong, denied that Li Subin had engaged in the practice of law claiming he was only engaged in administrative duties and charged that the government authorities "are distorting facts ... to get revenge" for the way the firm's lawyers have criticized or defied government agencies.