Chinese lawyers say judicial officials barred them from advising Wukan protest chief
Two leading rights attorneys say Guangzhou authorities told them to avoid contact with Lin Zuluan, the detained village chief rallying protesters
Two renowned rights lawyers based in southern China say judicial authorities told them to avoid the case involving the Wukan village chief who has been detained on suspicion of bribery after calling for protests over land grabs.
But they pointed out that under mainland law, Lin Zuluan was entitled to counsel, whether he was guilty or not.
Lin, 70, was taken from his home in the fishing village in Guangdong province early on Saturday morning after calling on residents to mount a protest over alleged land grabs. Prosecutors accused him of “pocketing a large sum of money” through contracting village infrastructure projects, and officials later aired a video showing his confession. But local villagers say he’s not guilty and continue to press for his release.
Wukan protest leader ‘admits’ bribery as Hong Kong media outlets accused of ‘inciting’ the demonstrations
On Monday Lin’s family hired Ge Yongxi to act as counsel. They signed documents with the law firm and deposited a retainer fee. But Ge said his firm was contacted by the municipal judicial authorities and ordered to return the funds on Wednesday.
“The firm was banned from accepting any client from Wukan village, which obviously interferes with our normal, legal business,” Ge told the South China Morning Post. “He should not be denied the right of legal counsel, whether he has taken any bribe or not.”
Villagers remain adamant the video confession was forced, saying he appeared to be reading from a prepared statement. They marched within the village on Wednesday, the fourth straight day since their public action began on Sunday, calling for his release and his name restored.
