Trousergate: Chinese Lawyer Leaves Court Half-Naked

[vibranium]

 

 

A Chinese lawyer who made global headlines after photographs emerged showing him with his trousers in tatters after allegedly being assaulted by court policemen, has refused to accept an official apology and offer of compensation.

 

Wu Liangshu left the Qingxiu district court in Nanning, Guangxi province, last Friday claiming he had been beaten by three court policemen in the presence of two judges and one other official after his request to file a case was rejected. The clash began when Wu refused to hand over his mobile phone for inspection by the court's police, who suspected he had used the phone to record a conversation with court officials in its petition office.

 

Photographs of Wu outside the court, showing the wounds on his hands, his shirt unbuttoned and his underpants showing through his ripped trousers, went viral online, and made headlines in Western media.

 

Last weekend about 1,000 mainland lawyers signed a petition that condemned the attack on Wu, calling it "barbaric and a violent abuse of power".

 

However, an investigation task force, which was set up by the city government following the uproar, found Wu was "not subjected to intentional physical assault". Citing court surveillance footage taken at the time of the incident, it attributed the clash to "an abuse of constraining measures".

 

It also suggested the court should issue an apology to Wu and offer him compensation for the loss of his phone. This led to the head of the court making an apology to Wu on Wednesday -- nearly a week after the incident -- as well as offering him a new mobile phone and 2,000 yuan (US$300) in cash as compensation.

 

However, Wu said on Thursday he had rejected the apology and offer because the court policemen had not been dealt with according to the law.

 

"Wu was being strangled by one of the police officers while the others tried to take his mobile phone, which was in the pockets of his trousers," said a statement prepared by Wu's lawyers, which cited the surveillance footage.

 

"He was forced to the ground, screaming for his life, but they continued to rip his trousers off him [to get the phone]. One of the police officers stamped on his chest with his right foot and continued to rip his trousers until the phone flew out of his pocket," the statement said.

 

It added that Wu had wanted to call the police emergency hotline, other lawyers, his law firm and even family members, to say what had happened, but had been banned by the court from doing so.

 

"The surveillance video clearly shows that Wu was subjected to harsh treatment by the court, which led to a violent assault by court police, which is also an abuse of constraining measures," the statement added.

 

"Over the years, the central government has repeatedly instructed judicial departments to protect the rights of lawyers and yet we experienced such unfair treatment in Guangxi. It is a hostile environment in which to practise [law], and we strongly urge Guangxi judicial departments to learn from this lesson and adhere to protecting the rights of lawyers," the statement said.

 

 

 

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