Weekend Long Read: The Challenges of Mounting a Legal Defense in China

In recent years, Chinese public security and judicial organs infringing upon lawyers’ rights to defend their clients has become alarmingly frequent.

This has manifested in a myriad of ways, from throwing up barriers in their meetings with clients, making it difficult for lawyers to review case files, and creating challenges in evidence collection.

Added to these have been a trifecta of new hurdles: making it difficult for lawyers to question and cross-examine people in court, and presenting their arguments.