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Chinese authorities have notched up the pressure on human rights lawyers this year--regularly resorting to attacks and kidnappings, according to a new report by Amnesty International. The report documents numerous cases of torture. It says they're part of a crackdown on dissent to prevent pro-democracy uprisings.

Human rights group Amnesty International says lawyers in China are routinely harassed, locked up without reason, and even tortured.

A new report by the group says lawyers representing more than 130 human rights activists had either been detained or "disappeared" without charges. It's part of the Chinese regime's sweeping campaign against dissent in response to pro-democracy protests in the Middle East this year.

On Thursday, Amnesty called on the international community to be more vocal when Chinese authorities don't follow China's own laws.

[Catherine Baber, Asia Pacific Deputy Director, Amnesty Int'l]:
"Not just speak out when high profile people are detained but also to comment directly when it's clear that the promise of the rule of law and the rhetoric is not followed in practice, and human rights lawyers are being targeted in the way that we've documented in our report."

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman denied Amnesty's accusations.
[Hong Lei, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman]:
"There is no such a thing as a so-called arbitrary detention or a forced disappearance."

He accused Amnesty of being biased.

On Thursday Amnesty also released this file footage of Beijing human rights lawyer Ni Yulan. She was permanently disabled after being tortured by Chinese police. She had defended people forcibly evicted from their homes.

And other rights groups besides Amnesty have documented similar cases.