Several lawyer and the head of a Beijing law firm at the center of the recent crackdown on unprofessional legal practices have allegedly confessed to being involved in unethical acts, according to Xinhua. Zhou Shifeng, the director of Beijing Fengrui Law, reportedly admitted that he perpetuated several unprofessional dealings in order to raise the reputation of his firm and earn more money.

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Zhou is alleged to have hired "butchers" to disrupt cases and instructed lawyers to cause a stir in court to raise the reputation of the firm and put pressure on judges.

According to Hong Kong-based China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group (CHRLCG), up to 233 lawyers and legal activists have been taken into custody since the beginning of the month.

China's Ministry of Public Security announced on Saturday that nine people in custody have been placed under "coercive measures." Xinhua explained that this empowers authorities to make "summons by force, bail, residential surveillance, detention and arrest."

The arrest of several lawyers in the country has been described as an attack on some increasingly vocal human rights lawyers. One of such lawyers is Wang Yu, who worked with Beijing Fengrui. The Washington Times quotes Chinese activist Teng Biao saying that he believes she may have angered the government because of her human rights advocacy.

"These lawyers are well organized and they are well connected. They can mobilize people through social media," he said.

Zhou reportedly confessed to authorities that he hired Wang because she had earned a reputation through "shrewish quarrels and public exposure." Besides Zhou and Wang, at least three other top lawyers from Beijing Fengrui are in custody.

In light of these confessions, foreign critics have raised questions about the use of torture to extract information from the suspects. According to AFP, Zhou is yet to meet his lawyer. State media sources say several of the suspects have expressed regret for their crimes. At the moment, it is unclear how their confession and alleged admission of guilt will affect the trajectory of this case.

Critics say the latest crackdown on lawyers is unprecedented. Over a dozen prominent lawyers in Hong Kong have launched a petition against the recent arrests in China. According to South China Morning Post, the petitioners, who claim the harassment of lawyers in the mainland is increasing, have demanded that Hong Kong authorities "raise an issue."

TagsZhou Shifeng, Beijing Fengrui Law, China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group (CHRLCG), Wang Yu, China Crackdown Lawyers