More than a hundred Chinese lawyers have reportedly been taken into custody over the past four days as authorities crackdown on a "major criminal gang" accused of attempting to influence judicial decisions and disturb public order by paying people to organize protests.

Investigations into the activities of this group had initially implicated attorneys in a Beijing law firm, Beijing Fengrui Law, according to the Ministry of Public Security. Investigators are reported to have started by detaining only lawyers associated with this firm before extending the scope of their arrests.

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As at 5:40 pm (Hong Kong time) on Monday, China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group (CHRLCG), announced that up to 120 lawyers had been detained by the authorities. About 80 of them had allegedly been released, but some were reportedly rearrested later on.

Lawyers from Benijing Fengrui Law are reported to have paid popular social media users huge sums of money to spread inciting rumors about ongoing cases. They reportedly also paid protesters to stage demonstrations and start petitions with hopes that these activities will positively influence court decisions, China Daily reported.

The suspects are also accused of spreading false information about ongoing issues online and carrying out fund-raising campaigns in order to extort donations from supporters abroad.

Among the people detained during the latest roundup are the head of Beijing Fengrui Law, Zhou Shifeng, and at least five top lawyers with the firm - including human rights lawyer Wang Yu. Several of the arrested lawyers are reportedly being held incommunicado.

Lawyer Liang Xiaojun told South China Morning Post that police officers had searched the premises of Beijing Fengrui on Thursday. At the moment, it is unclear what evidence the authorities have gathered against the firm and the other lawyers being held in custody. At least one of the arrested lawyers at Beijing Fengrui is reported to have confessed the firm's wrongdoings to investigators.

A lawyer with Beijing Fengrui, who was present when law enforcement officials arrived to search the premises of the firm on Friday, told Radio Free Asia that the investigators collected the phones of the employees present in the office and searched it. The attorney, who wasn't arrested, revealed that the search went on for several hours.

TagsBeijing Fengrui Law, China Lawyers Detained, China Legal Malpractice, China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group (CHRLCG), Zhou Shifeng, Wang Yu