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China officials close legal aid centre

Officials have shut down a legal aid and research centre founded by pioneering Chinese lawyers, increasing fears of a crackdown on those who take sensitive cases. Authorities have also revoked the licences of more than 50 lawyers, many known for tackling human rights issues.

About 20 officials from Beijing's civil affairs bureau arrived at the Gongmeng (Open Constitution Initiative) offices last week, confiscating computers and other equipment and questioning staff about their work.

Lawyers from the centre have acted in numerous high-profile cases, most recently representing parents whose children were taken ill due to milk tainted with melamine. It issued a report criticising the government's handling of unrest across the Tibetan plateau last year and has helped petitioners, relocated families and other disadvantaged groups.

Its closure came two days after the Beijing tax bureau fined Gongmeng 1.4m yuan (about £125,000), saying it had not paid its taxes.

The Associated Press reported yesterday that authorities had cancelled the licences of 53 Beijing-based lawyers, effectively banning them from working. It cited a notice on the Beijing justice bureau's website, which said the lawyers had been penalised because they did not pass an assessment by their firms or failed to register with the bureau.

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