Human Rights Group of the Parliament of Finland Writes to the Chinese Government about Lawyer who Defended Falun Gong Practitioners' Rights

HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP OF
THE PARLIAMENT OF FINLAND
Parliament of Finland
00102 Helsinki
Finland

China's Ministry of Justice, Wu Aiying
Ministry of Justice
People's Republic of China
10 Nan Da Jie, Chaoyang Men
Zip 100020

Appeal for the respect of rights of Gao Zhisheng/lawyer

Honourable Minister Wu Aiying,

The Human Rights Group of the Parliament of Finland refers to the decision of the Chinese government to shut down the law firm of Gao Zhisheng in November 2005. Although we are aware of your government's position that the firm was closed because it had failed to re-register with the authorities after moving into a new office, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom disputes this assertion. Amnesty International claims that the move to close the firm came shortly after the firm's director sent an open letter to President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao urging them to end the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. We urge you to take note of the fact that lawyers all around the world and from time immemorial have issued statements and written letters on behalf of their clients, inasmuch as the practice of law is not confined to isolated courtrooms but instead takes place against a political background and context that implicate their clients' beliefs and practices.

The Human Rights Group of the Finnish Parliament believes that lawyers have a professional obligation to defend accused persons no matter what the accusation might be. If the accused person is convicted, then the government benefits by being protected against accusations of violations of due process of law by pointing to the fact that the person had the services of legal counsel in mounting his or her defence. We write to you out of our conviction that defence of the rule of law is in your interest as a government just as it is in our interest as attorneys or members of organisations dedicated to the rule of law. You are of course well aware of the international rules of law protecting religious freedom and a citizen's right to legal counsel of his or her choice. These principles and norms are affirmed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers and other relevant human rights instruments.

The Human Rights Group of the Parliament of Finland urges you to reconsider your decision and reinstate Mr. Gao's law firm's licence to practise law.

Helsinki, January 4th 2006
Yours Sincerely,

Ulla Anttila MP
Chairperson of the Human Rights Group of the Parliament of Finland