India, July 8 -- Ten years after China launched a sweeping crackdown on human rights lawyers, Amnesty International, a prominent rights group, is urging immediate global action to hold the Chinese government accountable for the repression.

As Amnesty International signed on to a joint statement ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the '709' crackdown on human rights lawyers in China, the organization's China Director Sarah Brooks said: "The 709 Crackdown led to the unjust prosecution and persecution some of China's most diligent human rights lawyers and legal activists, but it was just the start of a decade-long assault on human rights and the rule of law that shows no signs of abating today."

"Many of the lawyers targeted 10 years ago c...