Statement by Xie Yang 's Wife to Chinese lawyers

In her statement, Chen Guiqiu, wife of lawyer Xie Yang who was detained in the 709 crackdown, calls attention to the procedural violations committed by the authorities with regard to her husband’s case. The two lawyers she retained to serve as her husband’s defense lawyers, Zhang Chongshi and Lin Qilei, submitted all processing documents to the respective case handling units in accordance with the law and in a timely manner. However, the case handling units and personnel intentionally put off fulfilling their legal responsibilities, refusing to allow the defense lawyers to meet with Xie or review case documents. Considering that Xie Yang is confirmed to have been tortured numerous times in prison; and considering that the family-appointed defense lawyers of other victims arrested in Tianjin and other places in the 709 crackdown were also deprived by authorities of their right to meet with their clients, Chen states the following: she’ll never dismiss Zhang Chongshi and Lin Qilei as Xie’s chosen defense lawyers; since losing his freedom and having been deprived of his right to meet with and obtain help from his lawyers, Xie’s “right to a self-appointed lawyer" has been violated; the authorities’ appointing a lawyer out of “kindness” is meaningless; any other Chinese lawyer who casts aside professional ethics and accepts the position of being Xie’s “officially designated defense lawyer”—in effect an appointment by the authorities by force—is acting contrary to the law and should be condemned. Furthermore, she and Xie will never give up pursuing unscrupulous lawyers of this kind on moral and legal grounds.

谢阳妻子致中国律师的声明

我已委托张重实、蔺其磊二位律师作为谢阳的辩护人，二位律师已经依法及时将委托手续分别递交给了谢阳案的办案单位长沙市公安局、长沙市检察院、以及羁押谢阳的长沙市第二看守所，上述单位及办案人员皆已收到辩护人的委托手续及会见手续；上述单位及人员现皆在恶意拖延履行法定职责，如拒不安排律师会见谢阳，拒不安排律师阅卷。

鉴于：

1、我们已确切知道谢阳遭遇了多次酷刑，逼供、逼认罪，家人、亲朋、辩护律师、同事也有多人被709谢阳专案组逼着去见谢阳劝谢阳认罪；

2、709案天津等其它地方的被捕者亦遭到官方剥夺家属委托的律师会见、辩护的权利，官方强行为失去自由的被捕者安排无职业伦理的无良律师做被捕者的“辩护人”；

3、长沙市检察院李治明等自9月17日至今的每个工作日的全天都提审谢阳以恶意阻止律师会见

的基础性事实，我们担心谢阳在无法获得辩护律师帮助又可能被酷刑、长期洗脑、长期疲劳审讯的情况下究竟能坚持多久；他会不会最终扛不住而“认罪”甚至“永不上诉”、“绝不上诉”？会不会如天津那些被捕者那样“自己聘请律师”？会不会要求家属换掉现在的律师？

故，我特在此向中国全体律师声明如下：

1、我认为张重实、蔺其磊二位律师法律专业知识、技术过硬，履职勤勉积极，我十分满意、非常感激，我绝不解聘他们；

2、谢阳在失去自由、且前面已被长期剥夺会见律师、获得律师帮助权利的情况下“自己委托律师”的行为无效；

3、官方代为指定律师、代为“好心”找律师的行为无效；

4、在我已聘请律师的情况下，任何其他中国律师不顾职业伦理、接受官方指定、安排强行做谢阳的“辩护人”是非法、无效的，是应该受到谴责的，我及谢阳将来绝不放弃追究这种无良律师的道义及法律责任。

声明人：谢阳妻子陈桂秋

2016年10月9日