Chinese human rights lawyers scored a win in July last year, after authorities agreed to abolish an annual registration system.

The system allowed authorities to confiscate or delay the licences of lawyers who took on sensitive cases.

But it seems the system is back, only with a different name.

The Beijing Bureau of Justice told lawyers at the start of this year that if they want to renew their license in May, they have to pass an annual examination.

This year authorities are more nervous than ever, with the 20-year anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4. Now the examination has been used to withhold or void the licences of more than 20 human rights lawyers.

Last year, Jiang Tianyong took on the cases of arrested Tibetans after the riots of March 14. The authorities refused to renew his license until June, leaving him unable to practice law for a month. His licence expires on May 31 this year, and he says he doesn’t expect it to be renewed.

[Jiang Tianyong, Human Rights Lawyer]:
“The system is basically a way to exploit and suppress lawyers. On one hand it is a chance to make more money, and on the other hand, the lawyers who don’t pass are mostly human rights lawyers. It’s easy to tell that this is an act of suppression.”

Lawyer Li Heping has taken on the most sensitive human rights cases, including those of persecuted Falun Gong practitioners. During some cases he was kidnapped and beaten up by strangers. He says the annual examination system is not just obstructive, it is illegal.

[Li Heping, Human Rights Lawyer]:
“It is a system that is unique to China. This system does not exist in the international community. It is against the law.”