Chinese Judicial System Leaves Scant Time for Defense Lawyers to Assist Outspoken Entrepreneur

Chinese entrepreneur Sun Dawu is in a feed warehouse at his Dawu Group in Hebei Province, China, on Sept. 24, 2019. Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is blocking lawyers from representing an outspoken tycoon and his colleagues by accelerating the proceedings of their cases with record speed.

Sun Dawu, founder of the Hebei Dawu Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Group, was arrested in the early morning of Nov. 11, 2020, together with more than 30 others including his family and executives. Currently, the entrepreneur faces eight charges, including illegal fundraising, provoking quarrels and trouble, illegal mining, obstructing public service, and other charges.

Cases Move from Procuratorate to Court in Just 10 Days

Public data shows that Sun and his colleagues’ cases were submitted to the local procuratorate on April 26. Just 10 days later, on May 6, they were moved to the local court, with half of them moved around Chinese Labor Day, a legal holiday that occurs on May 1.