Lawyer stripped of license for jeopardizing national security

A lawyer at a firm in East China’s Shandong Province, who allegedly posted comments online jeopardizing national security, had his law practice license revoked Friday, his attorney told the Global Times.

Zhu Shengwu, a lawyer from the Shandong Xinchang Law Firm, denied on his Weibo account China’s fundamental political system and incited discontent to the Party and the governments. The posts caused severe negative social influence and damaged the image of lawyers, according to a letter revealed by Zhu’s lawyer, Ding Xikui. The letter was issued by Shandong’s provincial department of justice.

The Shandong department of justice conducted a hearing on revoking Zhu’s license Thursday, and invited 30 people, including lawyers and ordinary citizens, according to the department’s website. The department said that its decision to revoke Zhu’s license was based on the regulations for lawyers and law firms.

“We will appeal the decision,” Ding told the Global Times.

“When one’s speech harms the interests of others, society and the State, he or she should be punished,” Wang Sixin, a media law professor at Communication University of China, told the Global Times on Friday.

Aside from the revoking of his license, Zhu could also face jail time if found guilty of posting comments that harmed national security, Wang said.

According to China’s Lawyer Law, the license of lawyers who make statements that jeopardize national security would either be suspended for up to a year or revoked. In serious cases, the lawyer could face criminal charges.