{"id":196324,"date":"2016-08-30T21:38:26","date_gmt":"2016-08-31T04:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=196324"},"modified":"2016-08-30T23:49:22","modified_gmt":"2016-08-31T06:49:22","slug":"lawyer-zhang-kai-says-criticism-fellow-lawyers-coerced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2016\/08\/lawyer-zhang-kai-says-criticism-fellow-lawyers-coerced\/","title":{"rendered":"Zhang Kai Says Criticism of Lawyers Was Coerced"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rights lawyer Zhang Kai was detained in August 2015 after working with Christians in Wenzhou<\/a>, Zhejiang who were protesting the removal of crosses and demolition of churches in the city. Before being released in March, Zhang issued a public “confession,”<\/a> which his wife and other supporters claimed at the time was forced. He also was interviewed by Phoenix Television after the trial of fellow rights lawyer Zhou Shifeng<\/a> in August, when he expressed support for the government’s round-up of lawyers over the summer of 2015, known as the “709” (for July 9, the date it was launched) or “Black Friday” crackdown. Zhang has now disavowed the interview and says it was made under duress:<\/p>\n

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Lawyer Zhang Kai: I was forced to make comments on #709 trials on Aug4. I regret & withdraw them. h\/t @FRJonathanLiu pic.twitter.com\/GnYRRdGV0z<\/a><\/p>\n

— Yaxue Cao (@YaxueCao) August 30, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n