EFE
FRIDAY, 5 OF MAY 2017 – 12:43 CEST
The UN today expressed concern over the detention of Chinese lawyer Chen Jiangang and his family while traveling in Yunnan province., In southwest China.
"Este acontecimiento se da en el contexto de una política de mano dura contra abogados chinos y otros defensores de derechos humanos", UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said in a press conference..
According to the multilateral organization, China has not officially reported the reasons why Chen has been detained..
His wife and two children were released., pero el destino del abogado "es incierto", said the spokesperson.
Before his arrest last Wednesday, Chen had expressed concern in a video that he, too, could lose his freedom and be coerced into self-incrimination..
Chen was Xie Yang's lawyer, a lawyer who has been detained since July 2015.
The charges against Xie were formalized in January 2016 under accusation of incitement to subversion of state power, among other allegations.
In March, Chen reported that his client and other lawyers detained, including Wang Quanzhang, Jiang Tianyong and Li Heping, They were mistreated and tortured while in custody.
"Estamos consternados por este patrón continuado de acoso de abogados a través de detenciones y sin garantías plenas al debido proceso y con la presunta exposición a malos tratos y coerción para la autoincriminación", recalcó Shamdasani.
"Instamos a las autoridades chinas también a parar el acoso contra los familiares", he added.
Most of the detained lawyers were defending the basic rights of Chinese citizens, the spokesperson stressed.
