When a totalitarian government attacks and beats the lawyers who defend the innocent, can there be any "rule of law?"
After the attorneys chatted with the family for about two hours, four public security officers suddenly came to question the two lawyers and asked them to produce their identification cards. Lawyer Li showed them his legal practicing license while Lawyer Zhang showed them his passport because he lost his identification card earlier. But the public security officers ignored their explanations.
At around 7 pm on that day, about 20 public security officers suddenly arrived from the state security unit of the Jiangjin District Public Security Bureau and the Jijiang Police Substation. Jiangjin State Security squadron leader Mu Chaoheng asked Jiang Xiqing’s relatives, “Who told you to hire lawyers? Your dad died a natural death.”
The police surrounded Zhang Kai and Li Chunfu and began pulling their hair, twisting their arms, tripping them, and beating them while pinning them on the ground. The police then handcuffed them and hauled them into their vehicle. They also took away Jiang Xiqing’s son, Jiang Hongbin. The police forcibly took the two lawyers to the local police station. Zhang Kai was hung up with handcuffs in an iron cage and the police slapped Li Chunfu in the face. Lawyer Li was taken to a room where he was handcuffed to a cement divider. The handcuff’s gears scratched his wrists to the point where they were bleeding. Two public security officers slapped his face several times and made two written records of the interrogation. They also searched his luggage and computer. In another room, after forcibly taking off lawyer Zhang’s shoes and belt, they kicked him and pushed him into the iron cage. He was handcuffed during the entire 30-minute interrogation. His computer was searched and the officers made three written records of the interrogation.
During the interrogation, the police threatened the lawyers to stop defending Falun Gong cases. When the lawyers argued that everyone had a right to legal counsel, the police said, “You absolutely cannot defend Falun Gong; this is the situation in China.” Lawyer Zhang Kai said later, “This is typical hoodlum behavior. They just wanted to intimidate us and force us to withdraw from the case. They are so frightened; they must be hiding something about this case.” Lawyer Zhang later found that his hands were swollen and there were many scratches on his hands. He also felt pain in four fingers. After the lawyers were only released at 12:40am, they both said they felt frightened, helpless and insulted.
According to Article 35 of the PRC Law on Lawyers which was amended last year, “Where a lawyer investigates and takes evidence on his own, he may investigate information related to the legal affairs handled from the relevant entity or individual, by presenting his lawyer’s practicing certificate and certificate of his law firm.” Article 37 also says, “The personal rights of a lawyer in practicing law shall not be infringed upon.” The public security officers in Chongqing violated these regulations when they beat up and threatened the lawyers during the interrogation.
In related news, it has been reported that 127 Family Members of Falun Gong Practitioners and 11 Lawyers Co-Signed a Letter to the Hebei Provincial High Court regarding how the Shijiazhuang Intermediate Court ignored the law. Can this be a trend?
Sources:
China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group
http://www.chrlcg-hk.org/?p=419
Religious Intelligence
http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=4438
Clearwisdom
http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2009/5/11/107211.html