ICC Note:

China has barred a human rights lawyer from pleading innocent in the case of a Christian woman who was holding house church services. Ma Huichao is accused of “gathering a crowd to disturb public order” after 4 people met at her house for a church meeting. This case probably reflects the implementation of new directives in China that require lawyers to take the stance of the state, and essentially ties their hands on any recourse they had in defense of human rights cases.

12/1/2016 China (China Aid) – Officials recently barred a prominent human rights lawyer from pleading innocent on behalf of his client, a Christian woman detained for holding a church service in China’s northwestern Xinjiang.

A trial of the first instance commenced in mid-November for Ma Huichao, whom officials charged with “gathering a crowd to disturb public order” after apprehending her and the four others gathered at her house for a church meeting. Alleging that they held religious services without government approval, authorities administratively detained Ma’s companions before releasing them and decided to prosecute her.

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