A group of Chinese lawyers has publicly objected to curbs on their ability to defend clients, in a rare show of defiance following a crackdown on activists in the profession over the past year.

Revised regulations released last month prohibited them from mobilising support for clients online or in the form of protests, shutting down a favoured tactic of Chinese defence lawyers who have turned to public opinion and the media in cases of social injustice.

The regulations followed the arrest or detention of hundreds of civil rights lawyers in July 2015, some of whom were handed stiff sentences this summer. Many of the lawyers caught in the sweep were affiliated with the Fengrui Law Firm, known for taking on civil rights cases and for its willingness to enlist public opinion on its clients’ behalf.