A group of lawyers gathered in Beijing for a legal seminar held a protest against the beating of two of their colleagues in Chongqing, according to this report from Ming Pao. The protesting lawyers called for an investigation into the incident and for protection of lawyers’ rights.
Zhang Kai and Li Chunfu, lawyers for Beijing law firms, were investigating the suspicious death of a detainee at a facility in Chongqing on behalf of the family of the deceased. The official report said the detainee died of a heart attack but the autopsy later found three broken ribs.
Zhang Kai said that when he and Li were carrying out an investigation at the home of the deceased, several police suddenly burst in on the pretext of “checking identity cards.” The police then beat Zhang and Li, and brought them to the nearby police station where they were put in handcuffs and held until after midnight. Police searched their documents and computers. Zhang told the reporter he now has no feeling in his fingers.
The lawyers and academics attending the seminar spoke out against the behavior of the Chongqing Public Security officers. One professor from the Chinese University of Politics and Law said if the rights of lawyers cannot be protected, how can we even talk about protecting the rights of citizens?
【明報專訊】北京兩名律師早前在重慶調查一宗案件時遭到當地公安毆打並拘禁，數十名同行昨日在京城拉橫額抗議，要求當局調查事件、保障律師權利，嚴懲打人的公安。被打傷的律師張凱說，右手拇指已因被反銬而失去知覺，懷疑傷及神經，2人目前仍留在重慶處理案件。
擬往公安部請願 保律師權利
數十名內地律師昨日齊聚京城一個法律研討會，主持人李方平律師安排現場聯絡到身在重慶的北京億嘉律師事務所律師張凱、北京高博隆華律師事務所律師李春富。
張李兩人是受當事人江宏、江平委託，調查其父江錫清今年1月份在重慶一間勞教所死亡事件，醫檢報告稱是心臟病發作，但屍體解剖發現江錫清有3根肋骨折斷，肋中有淤血，檢察院解釋是「搶救時壓斷」，家屬則稱父親沒有心臟病，認為事件有可疑。
張凱說，他們13日下午5時左右在當事人家中調查時，多名警察突然以「查身分證」為由闖入，將張李按在地上毆打，並反銬雙手帶往附近派出所。他被關入一個鐵籠子，警方要求他把雙手從高處伸出籠格，並用手銬銬住達30分鐘，直至他稱心臟不適才解開。警方又搜查他的文件袋及電腦，至晚上12時40分將2 人釋放。
中國政法大學法學院副教授王建勛說，若律師的權利都不能維護，便談不上為公民維權，「不要期望有一天當局會賜予律師更多權利，我們只能寄希望於我們自己，所有人應該挺身而出。」他們在會議室中拉起橫額，並計劃申請往公安部等地請願。
張凱昨晚接受本報電話訪問表示，右手拇指數日來沒有知覺，懷疑因為反銬時間過長而傷及神經，手腕仍有多處紅腫，但他和李春富仍會秉持理性、冷靜的態度，留在重慶處理案件。
