[Translation by Human Rights in China]

See Chinese original.

Shocked by news that Xinqiao law firm lawyer Zhang Kai and assistant Liu Peng were taken away in the wee hours of the morning on August 25, 2015 in Wenzhou City, I, as the head of Zhang Kai’s law firm, issue the following statement:

1. Zhang Kai works as a lawfully licensed lawyer at my law firm, whose professional conduct in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, is protected by the law. At our law firm, he handled cases in complete compliance with procedures.
2. Liu Peng is a lawyer in training in my law firm. His trainee procedures are lawful and valid, and his conduct is legally protected by China’s Lawyers Law and other legislation.
3. We strongly protest the actions of the Wenzhou authorities taking into custody Zhang Kai and his assistant and strongly call on the Wenzhou authorities to immediately and unconditionally release lawyer Zhang Kai and his assistant.
4. We are closely following lawyer Zhang Kai’s movements and are prepared to go to Wenzhou at any time to defend his rights and to call on the whole society to pay attention to his situation!

Lawyer Yang Xingquan, Head of Beijing Xinqiao Law Firm

August 26, 2015