【禁聞】《紐時》社論剛發 律師現身說法

【新唐人2011年5月10日訊】海外媒體近日發表文章,說在中國做刑事律師難。本臺記者撥通了幾位大陸刑事律師的電話,發現他們中就有人正承受著可能成為「第二個李莊」的恐嚇。這是這麼回事呢?中國的法律如何對待律師的呢?請看詳細報導。

《紐約時報》5月6號發表社論,提出“中國刑事律師歷來有“三難”之說,就是‘會見當事人難’、‘蒐集證據難’、‘看檢方蒐集的證據難’。現在這一說法還要加上『幹刑事律師難』!”

自從上個月李莊案出現第二季追案,“大陸律師取證不受侵害”的問題再次在法律界引起強烈反響。原北京刑事律師李莊被重慶當局指控對證人眨眼睛來誘導對方做偽證,因而獲獄一年六個月。

目前大陸的刑法第306條規定,“在刑事訴訟中,辯護人、訴訟代理人毀滅、偽造證據、幫助當事人毀滅、偽造證據、威脅、引誘證人違背事實改變證言或者作偽證的,處三年以下有期徒刑或者拘役。”

廣西維權律師楊在新曾為民運人士、法輪功學員、被強拆人士等做法律辯護,多次受到不明身份者的毆打和陷害。

去年底,他擔任一樁刑事案件的辯護律師。據楊在新的介紹,他去調查證人時非常謹慎,全程都錄了像。後來在法庭上,當著公訴人、受害人和法官的面,證人所說的和他調查時是一致的。

但是,幾個月前,中國新年期間,這名證人突然被警方逮捕。不久前,廣西地方警察放出話來,要抓楊在新,辦他個偽證罪。

楊在新:“是啊,現在就發生在我身上啊。可以說我準備挨坐牢的各方面東西都在準備了,比如說坐牢的衣服、拖鞋、牙刷都帶著身上。你必須面對他們這種陷害你呀,你要受這個苦啊。”

楊在新立刻把相關的證據、錄影等交到自己工作的律師事務所,並告訴了多位律師界朋友,萬一自己成為「第二個李莊」,請他們想辦法營救。

楊在新:“真的很恐怖,對法院作出公正的審判都是不利的。因為必須有公訴人舉你的例子,辯護人有他的證據,雙方的證據擺在桌面上,法官就可以根據雙方的證據作一個判斷。你現在把律師動不動就抓起來,特別是維權律師就更麻煩。”

楊在新認為,如果律師不敢取證維護當事人的利益,那麼是全中國人民的利益都受到傷害。

楊在新:“我們認為是殺雞取蛋,為了個別人的利益或者小團體的利益,就把中國律師正義感、對工作的負責任都毀了。毀了律師制度就等於毀了法律制度,也是毀了中國人民的整體利益。”

據不完全統計,自1997年以來,全國已經有數百名律師因所謂的“偽證罪”而遭受牢獄之苦。刑辯律師田文昌也曾感慨道:“在中國現階段做律師是最難的, 比甚麼時侯都難,比哪個國家都難。”

新唐人記者趙心知、蕭宇採訪報導。

Chinese Lawyers Echo NYT Report

Overseas media recently reported on the difficulties

to work as a criminal lawyer in China.

NTD reporters took a few phone interviews

with Chinese criminal lawyers who might be

at a risk of becoming the next Li Zhuang.

How are such Chinese lawyers being treated?

New York Times reported on May 6 the 3 difficulties

a Chinese criminal lawyer has, i.e., meeting litigants,

collecting evidences and checking existing evidences.

Now there is a fourth: being a criminal lawyer.

New issues were raised after the Li Zhuang』s case,

such as lawyers』 immunity in evidence collection.

Former Beijing criminal lawyer Li Zhuang

was convicted by Chongqing authorities

to 18 months imprisonment for

“inducing witnesses to perjure by eye blinking.”

According to China』s Criminal Code, article 306,

in criminal lawsuits, defenders/legal representatives

shall be sentenced up to 3-year in prison

if they are found to destroy, forge evidence

or help a litigant do so, or intimidate

or induce the litigant to change testimony.

Guangxi rights lawyer Yang Zaixin was attacked

for defending rights activists, Falun Gong

practitioners and victims of forced demolition.

He was a defense counsel of a criminal case last year.

He said that he videotaped the whole process

in his research with the witnesses. In the court later,

in front of the prosecutor, the victim and the judge,

the witness said exactly the same as

what he found in the research.

A few months ago the witness was arrested by police,

and his family was questioned. A short while ago,

Guangxi police said that Yang Zaixin was wanted

for providing false evidence.

Yang Zaixin: “It is now happening to me.

I have now prepared the clothes, tooth brushes, etc.

In case I am jailed. I carry them with me. I have

to face such persecution, endure the hardship.”

Yang Zaixin has soon handed in all of his evidences

or videos to his law firm and asked fellow lawyers

to try rescue him in case he got arrested.

Yang Zaixin: “It』s terrifying, it is hard for the court

to carry out an unbiased trial because to be unbiased

both prosecutors and defenders need to present

evidences to the table and the judge can then rule

accordingly. But now lawyers are often arrested,

especially rights lawyers, for gathering evidences.”

Yang Zaixin noted that if lawyers themselves were

afraid of collecting evidences to benefit the litigant,

the interests of all Chinese people would suffer.

Yang: “We believe what the authorities did was

in the interests of some individuals or a small group,

but it has destroyed Chinese lawyers』

sense of justice and responsibility.

Ruining China』s lawyer system equates to

ruining its legal system,

and so are the overall interests of Chinese people.”

Hundreds of lawyers have been imprisoned

in China for the so-called 『perjury』 since 1997.

Criminal lawyer Tian Wenchang said that currently

being a lawyer in China is the hardest thing to do,

harder than at any time in Chinese history,

or in any country in the world.

NTD reporters Zhao Xinzhi and Xiao Yu