China’s crushing of independent lawyers is a blow to rule of law

SHORTLY after he took over as China’s leader in 2012, Xi Jinping had some encouraging words—at least, so they seemed to some of China’s eternally beleaguered liberals. It was essential, said Mr Xi, “to ensure that all citizens are equal before the law, to respect and guarantee human rights, and to enable citizens to enjoy extensive rights and freedoms in accordance with the law.” His exhortation was aimed at the rapidly growing middle class that wanted the Communist Party to rule with a lighter and fairer touch. Without their support, officials feared, the party’s grip on power would be in jeopardy.But it turns out that Mr Xi is even more fearful of giving the middle class freer rein than he is of upsetting them. Three years later, in 2015, he launched a sweeping clampdown on hundreds of legal activists, the boldest of whom state media label lawyers. The term literally means “death bashing”, suggesting they are activists willing to fight to the death in defence of society’s underdogs, such as farmers and the urban poor. Reports suggest the authorities are not just jailing and harassing legal practitioners and their relatives, but also subjecting some of them to appalling torture.