Zhang Kai’s criticism of jailed activists was “forced out of fear”
The Christian lawyer, known for his fight against cross demolitions in Zhejiang, had accused his colleagues on trial of going "too far" and praised the court’s fairness. In a statement, he retracted everything and asked for forgiveness from God and the victims, says he is sorry for being “powerless to resist the pressure imposed by a strong regime”.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – A Christian lawyer says that the negative comments against some of his colleagues on trial were “forced out fear” and “against my own will” as were “the interview with a number of media”.
“With a Christian faith and a free conscience, I am officially stating that the interview with a number of media [. . .] over the trial of Zhou Shifeng was against my own will,” Zhang Kai said in a statement online that was quickly taken down by the authorities.
Zhang is a well-known figure for his opposition to cross demolitions in Zhejiang. Earlier this month, he spoke about the trial of activists Zhai Yanmin, Hu Shigen and Zhou Shifeng. The latter was found guilty of "subversion" and sentenced to seven years in prison.
“I personally think they might have gone too far,” Zhang had said during the interview. At the same time, he noted that from the perspective of a lawyer, the court in Tianjin had handled Zhou’s case fairly.
The three defendants belong to a group of lawyers who were arrested in July 2015 because of their commitment to defend the civil rights of ordinary Chinese against abuses and land grabs.
The government responded by detaining more than 700 lawyers and activists, many of whom are now awaiting trial. Zhang himself was sentenced to six months in prison and was released in March 2016.
With respect to the cases in Zhejiang, he had organised a legal team of more than 30 people to deal. The lawyer is 36 years old and was once employed by Xinqiao law firm in Beijing.
In the middle of the cross demolition campaign in Zhejiang, Zhang was the most active and the most involved of China’s human rights lawyers.
In August 2014, after he began representing Rev Huang Yizi, the pastor of the Salvation Church in Wenzhou, he moved to the city and became a consultant in many other cases related to cross demolition.
Zhang’s statement yesterday said his comments were forced out of him. “My elderly parents were living in fear and worry during the six months of detention,” he explained. “[I was] powerless to resist the pressure imposed by a strong regime,” Zhang wrote.
“I am willing to confess to God for [my] weakness and fear in my heart and spirit and I ask the forgiveness of other family members of 709 [victims],” he added.
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