{"id":1519,"date":"2014-06-15T18:35:44","date_gmt":"2014-06-15T18:35:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chinesepen.org\/english\/?p=1519"},"modified":"2014-06-15T18:35:44","modified_gmt":"2014-06-15T18:35:44","slug":"arrested-chinese-lawyer-pu-zhiqiang-speaks-from-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chinesepen.org\/english\/arrested-chinese-lawyer-pu-zhiqiang-speaks-from-prison","title":{"rendered":"Arrested Chinese Lawyer Pu Zhiqiang Speaks from Prison"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE EDITORS 06.13.14<\/span><\/p>\n

Early this morning, the Beijing Public Security Bureau formally arrested rights-defense lawyer Pu Zhiqiang on charges of picking quarrels and illegally obtaining personal information about a Chinese citizen. The arrest, announced via one of the PSB\u2019s verified social media accounts, came 37 days after Pu was detained after attending a private commemoration of the June Fourth Tiananmen Square massacre. Also detained on charges of illegally obtaining personal information was Pu\u2019s niece and lawyer, Qu Zhenhong.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Philippe Lopez\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

At a gathering last month, protesters wait and hold pictures of Pu Zhiqiang before marching to the Chinese liaison office in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

In addition to his career as a partner in a Beijing law firm, Pu has argued numerous cases related to free expression and civil rights, on behalf of media organizations, journalists, and artists, including Ai Weiwei. He successfully defended the authors of an expos\u00e9 on rural corruption in a defamation suit in 2004. Despite his increasingly public profile as a critic of political injustice in China, and his background as a prominent student activist during the Tiananmen demonstrations in 1989, Pu had never before served time in jail.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, on June 9, Pu\u2019s defense lawyer, the 86-year-old Zhang Sizhi (who has also defended prominent dissidents) visited Pu in detention. What follows is a translation of Zhang\u2019s notes from that meeting, which were circulated online in China this week. \u2014Susan Jakes.<\/p>\n

At 5:30pm on June 9, I had the good luck to be able to meet with Pu Zhiqiang. While I was waiting to see him, there was some talk online about \u201cvisitations.\u201d The police officers in the facility couldn\u2019t understand what all the fuss was about. They said repeatedly that they had arranged for me to meet with Mr. Pu privately, but that others would not be granted the same opportunity. Except for the official in charge of security, there seemed to be no surveillance measures in place (like cameras). Pu and I were able to talk undisturbed for a whole hour. He himself looked surprised as he walked into the room. We shook hands through the window and sat down to talk. His long hair was wet, probably from the shower.<\/p>\n

Below are notes summing up the main points of our discussion. All phrases in quotes are Pu\u2019s own words.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey bring me in for questioning practically every day. Sometimes the sessions last as long as ten hours. My legs are getting swollen, probably from sitting on a bench without moving for so long.\u201d He said of these grueling interrogation sessions, \u201cIf this continues, my body\u2019s not up to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The facility has been \u201cquite good\u201d about providing him medical attention. He is taking insulin, and at one point was sent to the Aviation General Hospital to see a doctor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe food in here\u2019s not the same as on the outside, of course, but I\u2019m dealing with it. Sometimes a meal consists of nothing but a steamed bun.\u201d<\/p>\n

The questioning sessions cover a wide range of topics. The \u201ccharges\u201d (my word) against him are many and broad, but he enumerated them briefly, and asked me to please not \u201cshare them with the public\u201d at this point.<\/p>\n

During our discussion, he mentioned that his journals and his computer had been confiscated. He couldn\u2019t remember all the content clearly enough to describe it, and said he would \u201ccorroborate it later.\u201d<\/p>\n

On one particular subject of the criminal allegations, he said, \u201cI imagine this might implicate Zhenhong1,\u201d and waited for me to answer. I said, \u201cYes, it does.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect that they will formally arrest me sometime in the next day or two, and at that point we\u2019ll begin legal proceedings. I worry that it\u2019ll be too physically taxing for you. I don\u2019t want to tire you out.\u201d He added that \u201c[a certain person] would be a better fit to handle this case than [another person].\u201d (I think it\u2019s prudent not to reveal names at the moment.) \u201cYou see . . .\u201d he said. I interrupted him, saying: Since you\u2019re not free to speak now, let\u2019s not worry about these things yet. We\u2019ll have time later. He didn\u2019t pursue this further, just added, \u201cIt\u2019ll be a lot of work. There\u2019ll be a lot of information to gather online. When the time comes, you should be prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said gravely, \u201cIf we lose, I probably can\u2019t be a lawyer after I get out, so what can I be?\u201d He paused for a moment, as if lost in thought, perhaps waiting for me to offer my opinion. I didn\u2019t want to discourage him by talking about long-term options, so I said nothing, and after another moment he said, \u201cI have a wish. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll get the chance to fulfil it.\u201d He paused again. \u201cAfter this is over, I want to do a better job looking after my friends and family.\u201d \u201cI miss my mother, I miss my parents-in-law. Do you know if they\u2019re well?\u201d<\/p>\n

I apologized, saying I was extremely sorry that I hadn\u2019t thought of this and couldn\u2019t tell him any concrete details. But I told him that his wife had wanted me to pass on this message to him: \u201cWhatever happens, keep calm, don\u2019t lose your head. Take care of your health. Remember that staying healthy is the most important thing. Afterwards, I\u2019ll do all I can to take care of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was visibly moved by this, and said, \u201cI understand. Please tell her to tell our son that I believe this experience will be good training for him in toughness. He\u2019ll learn a lot from it, and he\u2019ll be better for it in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

I told him that his wife had said that their son was handling it well. \u201cDon\u2019t worry,\u201d I told him.<\/p>\n

He asked me to tell Meng Qun2 that \u201cboth families should work together\u201d to keep Zhenhong\u2019s son in school. He said it was important not to neglect this.<\/p>\n

The mortgage for Zhenhong\u2019s house must be paid monthly. Her husband doesn\u2019t make much money, and he doesn\u2019t have enough to keep paying it. He also instructed me to tell her:<\/p>\n

If money\u2019s short, sell the house. If the firm can\u2019t keep giving us money for rent, don\u2019t ask for more. Just let everything happen as it will. I\u2019ve already caused them too much trouble!<\/p>\n

When we were done discussing \u201chousework,\u201d he asked, \u201cHow\u2019s Aunt [X]?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s well. She\u2019s worried for you. She asks about you practically every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

This topic clearly stirred up his emotions and, unable to restrain himself, he burst out, \u201cPlease say hello to my friends for me. I\u2019ve caused everybody so much trouble.\u201d Then he took care to add, \u201cTell [X] to find another line of work. It\u2019s not the right time, nothing will come of it!\u201d<\/p>\n

I was moved that even in his difficult straits he was so concerned about his family and friends.<\/p>\n

When we\u2019d finished talking, he bowed to me from the other side of the window, and I bowed back. I was overcome with emotion. The following gives my overall impression of Pu\u2019s situation, as a collective answer to all the questions from concerned friends:<\/p>\n

The NYRB China Archive08.10.06<\/p>\n

\u2018June Fourth\u2019 Seventeen Years Later: How I Kept a…
\nPU ZHIQIANG
\nFirst, psychological state. I would sum it up as: very resolute, but not unshaken. It’s worth emphasizing that nobody being subjected for the first time to the inhumane environment of a prison can be expected to be a model of pure inner strength. It’s hard not to fret about the past and worry about one’s loved ones. If I were in prison, it would be the same way for me. Whenever Pu\u2019s family and friends came up in conversation, his eyes started brimming with tears. His tenderness is perhaps a finer quality than stoicism would be. By \u201cnot unshaken,\u201d I mean only, of course, given the circumstances.<\/p>\n

Second, physical condition. I judge it to be declining. It would be best if he were released on bail for medical treatment. Our previous application was rejected, but for extremely abstract reasons\u2014the notice contained nothing but generalities, and not a single concrete argument. It\u2019s time to raise this question again.<\/p>\n

Third, his grasp of the details of his case and of his own prospects are for the most part in line with reality. Mentally and emotionally, he\u2019s well prepared.<\/p>\n

Fourth, as far as the details of the case go: Recent developments have been very unfavorable to my client. The investigation has been quite merciless, and although I expected some of this, I still underestimated it.<\/p>\n

The claim that \u201cthe detainee may be released after another three or four days\u201d is pure nonsense. And as far as \u201ca maximum two- or three-year sentence\u201d goes, that\u2019s a fantasy.<\/p>\n

Considering all the charges that are being leveled against him, I\u2019d say prospects are grim.<\/p>\n

As a friend, I think it\u2019s best to prepare myself psychologically, and to be ready to meet whatever contingencies arise.<\/p>\n

On a more personal note:<\/p>\n

As Mr. Pu\u2019s lawyer, I welcome any critiques or criticism of my work as described above. I may make errors of judgment, such as being convinced that \u201cquestioning\u201d was just an excuse for refusing to allow Mr. Pu to meet with his lawyer. On May 18, I told a reporter that Mr. Pu\u2019s case was an ordinary one, and that I would handle it with the same approach as I would any other case. At that point, I was trying to limit the discussion to the charge of \u201cpicking quarrels and provoking trouble,\u201d since Mr. Pu\u2019s actions on May 3 clearly had nothing to do with \u201cpicking quarrels.\u201d There have been major developments since then, and now it\u2019s clear that Mr. Pu\u2019s case is not an ordinary one, and we should not regard it as such. This situation requires us to put our heads together, to pool our energies.<\/p>\n

It is perfectly normal for fellow practitioners of a profession to have differences of opinion. This is a good thing. There\u2019s nothing wrong with having different ideas, different methods, different styles, differing judgments. But we can\u2019t let such differences keep us from cooperating. Our goal is the same, and everything else is open for discussion. Let\u2019s not forget the valuable lessons we learned from the Li Qinghong case in Guizhou. We can\u2019t afford to be muddled or indecisive in this crucial case; we need to sparkle, we need to show the world, through our strength and our brilliance, that Chinese lawyers are a force to be reckoned with.<\/p>\n

May justice be served, and may the rule of law prevail!<\/p>\n

Zhang Sizhi
\nJune 11, 2014<\/p>\n

Translated by Austin Woerner, with Yan Cong and Susan Jakes.<\/p>\n

Qu Zhenhong is Pu\u2019s niece, colleague, and lawyer, who has also been detained by the police.
\nMeng Qun is Pu\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From:http:\/\/www.chinafile.com\/Arrested-Chinese-Lawyer-Pu-Zhiqiang-Speaks-Prison<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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