A barefoot lawyer (simplified Chinese: 赤脚律师; traditional Chinese: 赤腳律師; pinyin: chìjiǎo lǜshī) is a self-taught legal activist in China. Many barefoot lawyers are peasants who have taught themselves enough law to file civil complaints, engage in litigation, and educate fellow citizens about their rights.[1] The term is a variation of the "barefoot doctor"—farmers with minimal formal training who nonetheless provided essential medical services in rural China during the Mao era. Barefoot lawyers provide free legal services, and in many instances take on controversial or politically sensitive cases—such as tackling corruption by local authorities—that more established legal professionals may be reluctant to pursue. Notable examples of barefoot lawyers include the blind self-taught activist Chen Guangcheng, and Guo Feixiong.[2][3][4]
- ^ Liu, Melinda (2002-03-03). "Barefoot Lawyers". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ "Walking on Thin Ice". Human Rights Watch. 2008-04-28. Archived from the original on 2023-09-16. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "China's blind activist lawyer, Chen Guangcheng, released from prison". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Archived from the original on 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ Tim Johnson, In China, lawyers fighting for justice routinely harassed Archived 2014-09-24 at the Wayback Machine, Knight Ridder Newspapers, 15 November 2005.