This is a Weibo post by Si Weijiang (斯伟江), a high-profile Chinese defense lawyer based in Shanghai. A lot is being said in 127 characters. –Yaxue
From the beginning, China’s criminal defense lawyers were merely the lasting party whom the Police, the Prosecution and the Court pulled in when the three had sat down for a Mah-Jong game but found they needed one more party to play. But the rule was that the lawyers must not be allowed to win. When there were occasions of lawyers actually winning, the other three would not accept it anyway. Then there came Weibo. Some lawyers, such as Yang Jinzhu (杨金柱), started shouting on Weibo when they won, “I won! They cheated!” As a result, the authorities everywhere have made arrangements to make sure that lawyers would not win; and even if they do, they must not shout it out loud. Thus begins the Harmony Mah-Jong. Hooray!
To be perfectly honest, that picture isn’t vastly different even in a place like Hong Kong, whose judiciary and legal system are often billed as top-notch, independent and whatever banal superlatives available for the taking. The UK criminal justice system isn’t that much better. I’ve seen from bitter experience many are convicted on very little in the UK, Hong Kong or the USA. In a sort of surreal, kafkaesque twist, China at least has the ‘guts’ to engage in backstage legal horsetrading than other legally ‘advanced’ countries.
I can tell your back is still hurting badly 🙂 Get well soon.
You are absolutely right. Merry Xmas to you and yours.
[…] injury,” was tried and sentenced on November 30. On December 1, his lawyer Si Weijiang (斯伟江), who had been prevented by the authorities from serving his client, issued the following […]
Nice article about the judiciary system in china and the role of criminal defense lawyers there. But i agree that the situations are a lot different in US.