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New regulations meant to promote “social stability” in Shaanxi province could mean trouble for Chinese lawyers. The Shaanxi Bar Association recently created a working group to deal with “persons of interest,” a euphemism for the renegade human rights lawyers subject to government scrutiny. Attorneys say the new rules unfairly limit lawyers' independence.
陜西省旨在促進“社會穩定”的新法規對中國律師而言可能是一個麻煩。陜西律師協會最近成立了一個工作小組，來處理“警察感興趣的人”，即受政府監視的人權律師叛徒。
The “working group for maintaining social stability” is led by several bar association higher-ups, including association president Zhao Liming, according to a document obtained by Caixin. Lawyers and law firms in Shaanxi province should report all “large-scale, sensitive or societally significant cases” to the working group, a bar association statement said. Such cases include those that involve national security, terrorism or organized crime, major bribery and corruption, or any issues that “may have a serious impact on the social order,” according to an earlier announcement by the Bar Association.
財新獲得的一份文件表明，“維護社會穩定工作小組”是由律師協會的幾個上級人物領導的，包括協會會長趙黎明。律師協會的一項聲明稱，陜西省的律師及律師事務所應該向工作小組匯報所有“大規模、敏感或者有社會重要性的案例”。律師協會此前發表的公告表示，這些案例包括涉及國家安全、恐怖主義或組織犯罪、重大受賄及腐敗案例，或者任何“可能對社會秩序造成嚴重影響”的事件。
The new regulations also urged the creation of a system for “managing and educating persons of interest.” A politics and law professor who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter told Caixin the term is usually used in reference to human rights lawyers and lawyers and litigants involved in politically sensitive cases.
新法規也敦促成立“管理和教育警方感興趣的人”的系統。因為事件的敏感性，一位請求匿名的政治學及法律教授告訴財新報，這個術語通常用來指人權律師以及涉及政治敏感性案例的律師和訴訟當事人。
Several others told Caixin that the main function of Chinese bar associations is protecting the independence of the legal profession. They called the Shaanxi bar association's push toward “social stability” an inappropriate overreach of power.
另有幾人告訴財新報，中國律師協會的主要功能是保護法律行業的獨立性。他們認為陜西律師協會推動“社會穩定”的行為是不合適的越權行為。
The Chinese legal system is jointly led by government justice departments and bar associations. Formally, the government is responsible for supervision, while the bar association is responsible for maintaining professionalism and self-regulation in the legal field. But the anonymous law professor told Caixin that in many provinces, the line between the two organizations has blurred so much that justice departments and bar associations often share members. Thus, when the government decides to shift focus to societal order, bar association leaders often follow suit.
中國的法律體系由政府司法部門和律師協會共同領導。通常來講，政府負責監督，律師協會負責保持專業性以及法律領域內的自動調節。但是那位匿名法律教授告訴財新報，在很多省份，這兩個組織之間的界限十分迷糊，以至于司法部門和律師協會經常共享成員。所以，當政府決定將關注點轉移到社會秩序上時，律師協會的領導便見樣學樣。
Government suspicion of lawyers is nothing new in China. Last September, a group led by President Xi Jinping released a document acknowledging the plight of lawyers. But in Shaanxi province and elsewhere, Chinese lawyers worried about losing their freedom remain on high alert. “How can lawyers practice effectively with this hanging over their heads?” one lawyer said.
政府對律師的懷疑在中國司空見慣。去年9月，由習近平主席領導的團隊發布了一份文件，承認了律師所處的兩難境地。但是在陜西省和其他地方，擔心失去自由的中國律師們都處于高度警戒狀態。一位律師說，“有這些東西壓在他們頭上，律師們怎么可能進行有效的實踐呢？”
譯文屬可可英語原創，未經允許，不得轉載。
