The Epoch Times | They Say I'm a Fake

I once wrote an article titled "The Kindest Acts this Government Can Do for the People is to Do Nothing." In fact, to do nothing is the best and kindest act for itself. Because whenever this government has acted, it has brought harm to the Chinese people, either through their evil motives or simple foolishness. These individuals who harm people are sheer irrational and unscrupulous, but suit themselves.

Back in November, the Ministry of Justice conducted a foolish investigation whereby it attempted to discover how I had changed from a respected lawyer to a "disobedient evildoer." The farcical investigation of my personal life came as part of the brutal crackdown on the Shengzhi Law Office.

In an obvious attempt to smear my name, the Ministry of Justice recently issued an open statement claiming that my title as one of China's top 10 lawyers is untrue—that I have assumed a fake title to unduly honor myself. I have three points to say in response to this: First, I always regard any "honor" given by this system as dust. Second, if what the Ministry of Justice has said were true, then the lawyer debate contest organized by the Ministry of Justice and China Central Television (CCTV) to choose the top 10 Chinese lawyers in 2001 must have been a well organized public charade. Lastly, I'd point out that the other nine lawyers with whom I share the honor, include Kang Jian and Gu Yongzhong from Beijing, Chen Qingyang from Liaoning Province, Pang Biao from Tianjin City, Xiu Bao from Jilin Province, Zhang Yuanbing from Chongqing City and Liu Hule from Yunnan Province—they must also be the "fraudulent laywers" like me. It was the Ministry of Justice that organized the contest, and rated me and the others China's top 10 lawyers in 2001. If the honor had been a forgery, it would have been not me but the Ministry of Justice who coined the lawyer contest event.

The personal attack launched by the Ministry of Justice and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice is utterly illogical and ridiculous; it is a result of a great lack of consideration and forethought on their part. They will soon look back and realize just how inane their behavior has been.

These two organizations have routinely persecuted "rogue" lawyers to death. When victims of their tactics do not meekly submit, they simply increase the pressure, intensify the torture until that person is destroyed. They cannot stomach the fact that some lawyers have a strong sense of morals that will not bend to the will of evil interests. These bullying and murderous tactics will eventually lead to the collapse of these organizations and the ruin of the people involved.

The most immoral deed committed thus far by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice has been its recent attack upon the only partner I have left. It is a bald attempt to completely destroy the Shengzhi Law Office.

The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice has issued a penalty judgment against the Shengzhi Law Office, requiring it to surrender its qualification certificates, and the official, financial and personal sealing stamps. Shengzhi Law Office will definitely appeal this ruling and sue the Bureau. Without its qualification certificates and official seals, we are not only unable to officially practice law, but also deprived of our right of action to criminal procedure. Under these penalties we are no longer a law office. This penalty is obviously an attempt to destroy us.

The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice has made countless legal and moral mistakes in its handling of our case, mainly because they are afraid. Its bureau chief, Mr. Wu, even personally called an emergency meeting to "maintain the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s advanced nature" among all lawyer Party members in the city. In the meeting, he ordered all the lawyers in the city to dissociate themselves from Gao Zhisheng, ostensibly to avoid being contaminated by my "subversive" ideas. The Bureau and its chief's attitude and actions have become the laughing stock of the Beijing lawyer community.

According to the Justice Bureau's Director, it is not laws that matter, only the director's power.

It is not strange in modern day China that the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice feels their actions are unrestricted by law or Heaven. As I mentioned in my third open letter, written on December 12, to Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, "This system, since its beginning, has been brutal, foolish and unrestricted, ignoring laws and Heaven."

The government was ostensibly punishing Gao Zhisheng's law firm, but all their documents and public attacks were directed at Gao Zhisheng personally. Since, as they say, Attorney Gao is "a bad individual" who disobeys rules and is "one of the top 10 most fraudulent attorneys," why don't they just punish me directly? How is this related to the punitive charges against my law firm? Doesn't this prove that the bandits feel guilty and have made a mockery of themselves?

By acting above human and Heaven's laws, The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice has committed more crimes than can be possibly counted. Under the protection of the Justice Department it dares to openly break China's laws and defy the Chinese Constitution by enforcing annual evaluations on law firms and attorneys. Prior to July 1, 2004, there were no such laws. After July 1 such actions were documented as against China's laws and the Chinese Constitution. Since July 1, 2004, essentially the entire country has stopped extorting funds from attorneys and law firms. Even in underdeveloped areas such as Xinjiang Province, annual evaluations have been revoked. Yet the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice has continued to carry out the annual evaluations in full. It collects nearly 100 million yuan (US$12.4 million) and reserves the right to persecute so-called "disobedient" attorneys.

Attorneys' tolerance and fear is stretched thin. They have been humiliated and bullied. On the market, a seal costs just over 100 yuan (US$12.4), but at the location designated by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice, it cost is several times higher, and no one dares to utter a word. Every year, the Bureau of Justice orders law firms to obtain financial audits at its designated location and pay double the normal cost, but no attorney dares to defy it. If a law firm does not stand in line handing out gifts at a festival, they will meet with trouble afterward. The tactics they use to blackmail attorneys are beyond anyone's imagination. It is unimaginably difficult to be an attorney and run a law firm under such a system. They do not treat attorneys as moral human beings.

Beijing's Municipal Bureau of Justice is completely lawless, because the chief Bureau acts like there are no laws. In November 2003, because I continued to publish articles revealing and criticizing the brutal, illegal violence used to destroy civilian housing, I was summoned to speak with the director. The moment I stood in front of him he said, "Since a great director such as myself was asked to speak with you, you should know the seriousness of the matter. What right do you have to say that forced relocation is against the law? When I was the Party Secretary in Dongcheng District, I ordered countless forced relocations. So how can I allow you to say that forced relocation is against the law? Isn't that the same as saying that I am breaking the law?" According to him, it is not laws that matter, only the director's power.

Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice' persecution against my law firm has been criticized here and abroad. This has caused it to continually vent its anger at me personally. It relentlessly attempts to harm my reputation and persecute me, all for a bit of relief from its own pain caused by acting above the laws of Heaven and Earth. What it doesn't realize is that every time it has misjudged and every time it has been out in its calculations, and simply caused more pain to itself.

They Say I'm a Fake—They Are Just Afraid