Lawyers must swear oath to Communism

LAWYERS in China have been ordered to swear allegiance to the Communist Party, the Beijing regime announced yesterday.

The ministry of justice said new applicants or lawyers seeking to renew licences to practise must take an oath of loyalty.

Officials claimed it was an attempt to raise the quality of lawyers. But critics said, during the presidency of Hu Jintao, the legal profession has been under attack, with Beijing promoting an ideology that places the interests of the party above the law.

Legal activists have also faced harassment.

Last year, amid government efforts to prevent the growth of an Arab-style protest movement, Chinese authorities suspended or revoked lawyers’ licences to stop them from taking sensitive cases, such as defending pro-democracy dissidents or government critics. Some lawyers were attacked and secretly detained.

Jiang Tianyong, a lawyer detained for two months last year, condemned the move as ridiculous and added: “It’s unimaginable any other country would ask lawyers to pledge allegiance to a party. Lawyers should respect laws and uphold the rights of their clients.”

Mr Jiang worked on cases involving Aids activists and freedom of religion.