Human rights defender Ms. Xu Yan denied legal professional qualification after passing the legal examination
On August 14, 2026, this outlet learned that Ms. Xu Yan, the wife of human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and a human rights defender, was denied legal professional qualification after passing the legal examination.
Today, Mr. Yu Wensheng reported: “On August 14, 2026, Xu Yan submitted an Application for Legal Professional Qualification to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice and received a Notice of Non-Acceptance of the Application for Legal Professional Qualification. The reason given was: Those who have received criminal punishment for an intentional crime may not register to take the National Unified Legal Professional Qualification Examination.
Xu Yan had not received criminal punishment before registering for or taking the examination. Within 60 days, Yu Wensheng will represent Xu Yan in applying for administrative reconsideration with the Ministry of Justice, and will file a complaint against the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice and its director for “abuse of power.”
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