By Jin Yan, Vision Times
More than a decade after China’s sweeping “709 Crackdown,” exiled lawyer Zhang Ren says the events of July 2015 remain one of the defining moments of his legal career.
Starting on July 9, 2015, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a nationwide operation targeting hundreds of human rights lawyers, legal assistants, activists, and their family members. The campaign, commonly known as the “709 Crackdown,” has been widely documented by international human rights organizations and legal groups as a major turning point for China’s rights-defense movement. At the time, the United States and several other Western governments publicly criticized the detentions and called for the release of the lawyers involved.
Now, in an exclusive interview with Vision Times marking the crackdown’s 11th anniversary, Zhang reflects on his personal experiences during that period, the challenges he says he later faced while practicing law in China, and his efforts to support Chinese lawyers after relocating to the United States.
RELATED: 11 Years After China’s ‘709 Crackdown,’ Exiled Lawyer Reflects on Its Lasting Impact
China’s rights-defense movement
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Zhang said he became increasingly involved with China’s community of rights lawyers around 2015 through colleagues including attorneys Tang Jitian, Jiang Tianyong, and Yu Wensheng. One case from that period, he recalled, involved representing attorney Cui Hui after an altercation with a judge that drew attention within China’s legal community.
According to Zhang, lawyers sought legal remedies after police declined to pursue the matter. “The judge assaulted the lawyer. Our lawyers reported it to the police, but the police refused to open a case.”
Zhang said he later attempted to challenge what he viewed as administrative inaction by local authorities but was unsuccessful. He also believes the case ultimately affected his own legal career, saying pressure was placed on his law firm after he continued pursuing the matter.
Searching for detained colleagues
When authorities launched the nationwide crackdown in July 2015, Zhang said many lawyers suddenly lost contact with colleagues who had been detained.
But rather than remaining on the sidelines, he and other attorneys attempted to locate those who had disappeared and sought permission to meet them as defense counsel. “We searched for the locations where the detained lawyers were being held. We went to the Hexi Branch of the Tianjin Public Security Bureau, presented our lawyer credentials and requested meetings.”
According to Zhang, those requests were denied. He said the experience convinced him that lawyers representing politically sensitive clients faced increasingly limited opportunities to carry out their professional duties.
Several lawyers detained during the 709 Crackdown were later convicted on charges including “subversion of state power.” Others were released after serving prison terms but remained subject to professional restrictions or other limitations.
Continuing legal work
Zhang said he continued representing clients in public interest cases after 2015 but encountered additional difficulties. He recalled representing hundreds of villagers in Hebei Province in a collective lawsuit involving a local government in 2020.
According to Zhang, the case was followed by professional pressure that eventually left him unable to continue practicing law in China. He said he ultimately left the country in late 2023 and later settled in the United States.
During the interview, Zhang also discussed representing Falun Gong practitioners earlier in his legal career. He said that while serving as director of a Beijing law firm in 2002, he decided to accept cases that many firms had declined. “I instructed my law firm’s staff to open the doors and welcome clients involved in Falun Gong cases.”
Zhang said the decision drew the attention of public security authorities, who monitored the law firm and, according to his account, discouraged potential clients from entering.
Building support overseas
Now living in the United States, Zhang said one of his priorities has been helping connect Chinese human rights lawyers and advocates living abroad. He’s also worked as one of the initiators of the “Overseas Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Association,” which he said was established to improve communication and mutual assistance among lawyers and activists outside China.
Zhang argued that closer cooperation could help individuals respond more effectively when facing legal or other forms of pressure overseas. He noted that stronger professional networks would allow lawyers to share information, coordinate legal resources, and provide practical assistance to individuals confronting legal challenges in other countries.
Reflecting on the past 11 years, Zhang said the 709 Crackdown extended far beyond the lawyers who were detained. In his view, it also affected families, professional networks, and the broader legal community.
For Zhang, commemorating the anniversary is about preserving the historical record while continuing to support lawyers and legal advocates who remain under pressure. His experience, he said, illustrates how one chapter in China’s legal history continues to shape the lives of many attorneys both inside the country and abroad.
Editorial note: These accounts reflect Zhang’s personal observations and have not been independently verified by Vision Times.
