Rights group: One Chinese lawyer freed as another one goes missing
Beijing, China (CNN) -- Chinese authorities freed a prominent lawyer held for more than two months shortly after a U.S. official called for his release, a rights group said.
Teng Biao was released Friday after 70 days in custody, according to a U.S. Embassy spokesman.
China Human Rights Defenders also confirmed that he was no longer detained.
His release comes after two days of talks between the U.S. and China in Beijing.
"We＇ve seen a serious backsliding in human rights," said Michael Posner, assistant U.S. secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor.
During his meetings with Chinese officials, Posner highlighted the lawyer＇s case along with a host of other activists, artists and religious groups.
Posner said Thursday that relations between the United States and China could suffer as a result of the crackdown on activists following calls for a revolution in February.
However, celebration of his release was quickly muted when another lawyer was taken into custody soon after.
Li Fangping was seized by unidentified people while leaving an office building in Beijing and has been out of contact since then, according to China Human Rights Defenders.
Li has represented several high-profile individuals, including lawyer Chen Guangcheng, who remains under house arrest in Shangdong Province following his release from prison.
He also defended Zhao Lianhai, an outspoken food safety activist and parent of a child contaminated by melamine-tainted milk powder in 2008.
China Human Rights Defenders said Li told his wife by phone on Friday that "I may be gone for a period of time ... can＇t talk more."
Attempts to contact Li since then have gone unanswered.
"Releasing Dr. Teng is welcoming news, but China cannot continue to play this game of letting one go and taking another in if China wants to be seen as a responsible international partner," Bob Fu, founder of the nongovernmental organization China Aid, said in a statement.
Calls to Chinese officials for comment were not returned.
|
|
