ABA Says It Wasn’t Intimidated Into Cancelling Chinese Lawyer’s Book

The ABA this week insisted that its decision to cancel a book written by a Chinese human rights lawyer was based purely on business, and not a result of Chinese intimidation tactics. Teng Biao’s book, tentatively titled “Darkness Before Dawn,” was reportedly an examination of the Chinese human rights legal community, often the target of the Chinese government. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Chris Smith (D-N.J.) wrote to the ABA, demanding that they defend their decision. “The decision not to proceed with publication of Mr. Teng’s book was made for purely economic reasons; the reasons for the ABA’s decision were unfortunately miscommunicated to Mr. Teng,” the ABA’s letter states.