Skip to content Skip to navigation

Solemn Statement Regarding the Forceful Dismissal of Jiang Tianyong’s Defense Lawyers

May 31, 2017

Jiang Tianyong’s wife is shocked to hear her husbad’s statement dismissing his two defense lawyers, and does not believe that this is Jiang’s true wish. She presumes that Jiang Tianyong’s statement—signed on the day when his six-months of residential surveillance expired—was the product of torture. In her statement, she declares: The family has a right to hire a lawyer; Jiang’s statement dismissing his lawyers is invalid unless accompanied by his personal confirmation; the two lawyers, as retained by the family, will continue to work until Jiang Tianyong is released.

Jiang Tianyong was disappeared on November 21, 2016 as he prepared to board a train in Changsha to return to Beijing. In Changsha, he had visited Chen Guiqiu, wife of Xie Yang—a lawyer detained in the 709 crackdown—and accompanied her and Xie’s defense lawyer to Changsha Detention Center to try to meet with Xie. On December 17, Chinese media reported that Jiang Tianyong had been arrested on suspicion of “illegally possessing documents classified as state secrets,” fraudulent use of an identity card, and illegally disseminating state secrets overseas. 


关于江天勇被胁迫辞去辩护律师的严正声明

5月31日美国西部时间凌晨四点,惊闻覃臣寿发来江天勇自己解聘两位辩护律师的声明。我对当局威逼解聘律师的恶劣行径极度愤慨,更不可能相信这是江天勇的真实意思,声明自然无效。早在5月12日,就有体制内的人士告知江天勇被酷刑,脚肿得不能站立,江天勇在被指定监视居住六个月届满之签署的解聘辩护律师声明,可以推定是酷刑之下的产物。

据我所知,709被捕律师和维权人士几乎都经历了辞退律师或强迫接受官方指定律师的过程。被捕前,江天勇曾经发表过郑重声明:内容如下,“能为我挡风雨的差不多都进去了,该轮到我了。昨天签授权委托书声明如下:

  1. 我绝不会自杀,只能是被自杀;
  2. 我已委托有律师,不会不请律师,坚决拒绝官方指定律师;
  3. 我是血肉之躯,不那么坚强,我在非自由状态下的放弃、悔过、承诺都是无效的”。

因此我可以肯定,他的“狱中”声明绝不是他个人的真实意识表达,甚至不排除在酷刑之下而为。我特此声明,家属有权聘请律师,非见到其本人确认,解聘声明无效。两位律师受家属委托,不受所谓江天勇解聘的影响,继续工作直至江天勇被释放。

江天勇的妻子:金变玲

2017年5月31日