Antigraft activists 'sack' lawyers to win adjournment to 'illegal and unfair' case
Defendants sack lawyers in procedural move to force adjournment after judges ignore defence argument they were held illegally for months
The trial of three antigraft activists who pushed for officials to disclose their assets has been adjourned on its first day, after lawyers complained that the court ignored due process and tried to conduct an unfair trial.
Rights groups said the prosecution of Liu Ping, Wei Zhongping and Li Sihua in Jiangxi province was the first court case in a wider crackdown on activists and government critics under the new government that has seen scores detained or arrested this year.
The three were initially charged with "inciting subversion of state power" but that was changed to "illegal assembly". In September, Liu and Wei were also charged with "gathering a crowd to disrupt order in a public place" and "using an evil cult to undermine law enforcement".
At court yesterday morning, lawyers for the three said the judges illegally extended their detention without due process. They argued that the trial should not proceed unless their clients were first released as it had not taken place within the required three months since the case was filed with the court.
Wei's lawyer Chen Guangwu said he and five other lawyers have also appealed to the head of the court to change the case's judges, who illegally extended the trio's detention. However, the judges yesterday refused the application and said the trial would go ahead.
"We have reasons to believe our clients will be subjected to an unfair trial," Chen said.