From AP:
At least seven Chinese lawyers who signed a petition calling for open elections in a government-controlled bar association have lost their jobs because of official pressure, several lawyers said Thursday.
The seven were among 35 attorneys who signed the petition in August, said Cheng Hai, a leader of the campaign for direct elections in the Beijing Lawyers’ Association.
Activist lawyers in the tightly controlled Chinese legal system have been at the forefront of the fight to use the rule of law to press for civil liberties and combat abuse of power. But they say they have faced official interference, obstruction and even physical harassment.
