The lawyer of a Hong Kong woman who has been detained by mainland authorities while fleeing to Taiwan has been asked to “lodge a report” with the judicial authorities, Apple Daily has learned.

Lu Siwei said he received a call from the Sichuan judiciary department after his request to see his client was refused. His client is being detained in Shenzhen alongside 11 other Hongkongers who were fleeing the city over fears of political persecution.

“[The judiciary department] asked if I was handling an illegal border-crossing case in Shenzhen,” Lu said. “Upon my confirmation, they asked me to lodge a report.”

There are no official standards in mainland China as to when a report is needed or what it should include, Lu explained.

“They probably feel that this is an important and sensitive case,” he said.

Lawyer sources told Apple Daily that a report was usually required when authorities wanted to get a good grasp of the legal process and to control the lawyers while also putting psychological pressure on them.

Lu was appointed to represent the detained woman by her brother but was barred from seeing her at a Shenzhen detention center on Friday.

The boat that carried the woman and the 11 other asylum seekers was stopped by China’s coastguards while en route to Taiwan last month. Also on board was Andy Li, who had earlier been arrested under the national security law.

Lu said that, aside from his client, the other detainees had also been unable to meet with their legal representatives.

Under mainland law, the 12 can face up to one year in prison for illegal border crossing. They could also be charged with organizing the illegal crossing, a crime that carries a heavier penalty, Lu said, citing a police officer.

Lu has been heavily criticized on mainland social media for his involvement in this case. Some called him a “cockroach,” a dehumanizing term used by pro-Beijing forces to describe Hong Kong protesters.

Lu said on Weibo — China’s Twitter equivalent — that he felt sorry for people who were insulting him. He said he was merely defending a Hongkonger who was suspected of crossing the border illegally.

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