The Chair of the Bar, Derek Sweeting QC, has responded to the news that the Chinese government has placed sanctions on Essex Court Chambers following the the release of a legal opinion on human rights violations in Xinjiang:
“The Bar Council strongly condemns any threat against members of the Bar simply for doing their job. Sanctioning a chambers or any legal organisation because a member has given a legal opinion in accordance with their professional obligations is an attack on the rule of law.”