Monday 29 March 2021 The
International Bar Association (IBA) joins the international community in solidarity with those against whom China’s government has levied asset and visa sanctions. Widely regarded as retaliatory measures by the Chinese authorities, individuals, institutions and organisations, that have been critical of the alleged ill-treatment of Uighur Muslims in the Northern province of Xianjiang in China, have been targeted by China’s government. The imposed restrictions prevent travel to China, freeze assets and ban Chinese citizens and institutions from doing business with anyone on the list.
IBA President Sternford Moyo commented:
‘When the rule of law and human rights are under threat in any part of the world each one of us has the duty to speak out. Sanctions have been imposed by China on those who have done just that. It is ironic that the very voices the Chinese authorities sought to silence have, inadvertently, been amplified because of imposition of
A barrister contemplates speaking up.
A chambers has warned its barristers not to criticise China in case it impacts upon profits, RollOnFriday can reveal.
RollOnFriday reported last week on the existence of an email sent by The 36 Group which contained the guidance.
The set denied a source s claim that the email, which RollOnFriday had not seen at the time, suggested that members should not come out in support of Essex Court Chambers or say anything critical of China s human rights record.
The 36 Group said, We have never sought and will never seek to silence our members, who, as self-employed barristers, regularly express their personal views on a wide variety of matters . It added that the description of the email by RollOnFriday s source mischaracterises its content .
London set urged tenants to exercise restraint over China-related social media posts, leaked email reveals
30 April 2021
36 Group warned of detrimental impact given significant links with Asia
By danielo; Shutterstock Leading London set of chambers 36 Group urged its tenants to exercise the ‘greatest caution’ when commenting on social media about the sanctions imposed by China against Essex Court Chambers, it has emerged. A leaked email sent on behalf of the set’s executive board – published today by news site Roll on Friday – warns tenants of the potential impact of negative comments about China on Asia work being carried out by some of their colleagues.
Matthew Gearing QC, a former co-head of Allen & Overy’s global arbitration group, and a former chair of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), is set to join Fountain Court Chambers on May 3.
In January, the UK’s Essex Court Chambers had announced that Gearing would be joining it. However, since then, Essex Court was sanctioned by the Chinese government over a Jan. 26 legal opinion penned by the four members of the chambers on the treatment of the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang.
Gearing is presently at Allen & Overy, where he spent more than two decades, becoming a partner in 2005. He took Silk in 2014.