Chen Jiangang is one of hundreds of Chinese lawyers whose lives have been upended since July 9, 2015 — the day China's government launched an unprecedented nationwide crackdown on legal professionals defending human rights.

"That night, I was like a frightened bird," Chen told DW. "I was in Beijing and figured someone might come looking for me. I drove far away and hid in my car until two or three in the morning."

The incident, known as the "709 crackdown," led to more than 300 human rights lawyers and legal assistants being arrested and interrogated. At least 15 were later convicted of national security offenses.

Lawyers face restrictions, surveillance

Although Chen wasn't arrested, he soon became a target after he represented several lawyers who were detained during the crackdown.

In 2019, under mounting pressure, he fled to the United States with his wife and sons to seek asylum.

The 709 crackdown came days after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, enacted a series of laws on July 1 to toughen national security and protect China's "core interests" — namely its territorial sovereignty and integrity, keeping the CCP in power, and ensuring China's continued social and economic growth.

Critics, however, argue that the National Security Law suppresses dissent and restricts basic rights and personal freedoms.

A decade on, the ruling Chinese Communist Party's control over the legal profession has only tightened.

Lawyers convicted during the 709 crackdown remain under close surveillance and face severe restrictions even after completing their prison terms. Others undergo new waves of persecution when working on legal cases addressing social justice. 

"The atmosphere has grown more tense and suffocating. Defense lawyers have less and less room to do their work," Chen said.

Harassment and restrictions continue even after release

Some of the previously convicted lawyers and their family members have turned to Western social media platforms like X — which is banned in China and accessible only via VPN — to document the repression they continue to face in daily life.

Wang Quanzhang, who served four and a half years in prison for "subverting state power" and was released in 2020, regularly posts videos or photos of himself or his wife being followed by strangers or stopped by the police when travelling domestically, while foreign travel is completely prohibited.

The family has been forced to move repeatedly due to pressure from landlords, and their son has been denied school enrollment for over a year.

Other convicted lawyers report similar patterns of harassment and restrictions.

"One major problem is that this is actually allowed by law," said Sarah Brooks, China director at Amnesty International. Under Chinese criminal law, many political prisoners are given "supplemental sentences" — a deprivation of political rights in addition to their main punishments.

"This has really provided carte blanche for the authorities to restrict freedom of movement, their ability to continue to work, freedom of expression, and freedom of association," Brooks told DW. 

Rights defense work has become nearly impossible

Under Xi, the country has promoted a vision of "socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics" as part of its governance model. 

But human rights lawyers and international observers say the definition of Chinese rule of law prioritizes political control, not legal accountability and transparency.

"Until 2019, there was an accessible database of many court cases in China," Brooks said. Now, only a small portion of cases are available, with some requiring real-name identification.

In the last decade, while the number of licensed lawyers in China has steadily surged, those taking on social issues and civil rights cases have faced renewed waves of political repression.

Xie Yang, one of the lawyers convicted during the 709 crackdown, was arrested again in 2022 after advocating for a teacher who was forcibly detained in a psychiatric facility. He remains in custody, with his trial having been repeatedly postponed.

Yu Wensheng, another prominent lawyer who has represented human rights activists and sued the government over air pollution, was also detained for a second time in 2023.

"In this kind of environment, when lawyers try to push back, it's like scholars going up against soldiers," said Chen. "You're trying to argue based on law, but what you face is brute force." 

Resistance persists outside and inside China

International attention can play a vital role in pressuring the Chinese government to release detained lawyers or lift restrictions targeting human rights defenders.

Earlier this week, 31 human rights organizations including Amnesty International issued a joint statement condemning China's continued persecution of rights lawyers.

Brooks, Amnesty's China director based in Brussels, said the group continues to urge European Union member states to speak out, despite the growing global tensions with the US under President Donald Trump.

"You can and should be critical of China's human rights record on its merits — without worrying that it means siding with the United States," she said. "That's more true than ever."

Inside China, resistance also persists, despite the risks.

Earlier this month, Zhou Shifeng, one of the most heavily sentenced lawyers during the 709 crackdown, filed a criminal complaint against police, prosecutors, and judges, accusing them of unlawful detention and torture.

"It's the tip of the iceberg for the much broader sense of resistance," Brooks said. "They're driven not by self-interest necessarily, not by a personal vendetta, but really by a passionate belief that their country can be better."

Chen, whose family in China still faces police harassment whenever he speaks out, said he would have done the same if he were in Zhou's position.

"Even when we know nothing will change, we still try. It's how we express our anger — and how we show we haven't given in. We will never give in," Chen said.

Edited by: Karl Sexton