On May 13, it was reported online that Beijing criminal defense lawyer Zhang Xinnian was summoned by local police in Suihua City, Heilongjiang Province, which sparked widespread concern.
It is reported that Zhang Xinnian is a lawyer from Beijing Zhongwen Law Firm. He recently intervened in the defense work of a case of extortion in Wangkui County, Suihua City. He had posted multiple posts questioning the local judicial authorities and was reported to have been summoned by the Wangkui police on May 13.
Figure: Online news
On the afternoon of the 13th, another defense lawyer in the criminal case, Liu Lu, told the author that Zhang Xinnian was summoned by the police in a hotel in Suihua City at around 5 p.m. today. The latter claimed to be a staff member of the Wangkui County Public Security Bureau. “He (the police) said a written summons, and he was holding something (paper), but I didn’t see it clearly.” At that time, the family members of the defendant also witnessed Zhang Xinnian being summoned by the police at the scene. The defendant’s family told the author, “We were sitting there (in the hotel), and a few people came in, holding a law enforcement recorder. He said we were from the Wangkui County Public Security Bureau and summoned you (Zhang Xinnian) in accordance with the law, but didn’t say the reason for the summons.”
Subsequently, the author called the Wangkui County Public Security Bureau to verify the details of the matter. At around 8 p.m. on the 13th, a staff member of the Wangkui County Public Security Bureau replied to the author that he had received multiple calls today to inquire about Zhang Xinnian’s summons. According to his understanding from the criminal investigation department, “There is no case handled related to this person (Zhang Xinnian), and we have not sent anyone to Suihua to arrest anyone.” The staff member then asked the author for the police officer’s police number and said that he would reply after checking the relevant personnel information; when the author called the Wangkui County Public Security Bureau again, the staff member changed his tone and said that he needed to contact the propaganda department to understand the matter, and stated that the previous reply was only his personal understanding and did not represent the official position.
In addition, the author called the Wangkui County Government Office, the County Party Committee Political and Legal Committee, the Propaganda Department, and the Beijing Lawyers Association’s rights protection hotline to try to inquire about the matter, but to no avail.
According to the defendant’s family, Zhang Xinnian’s client, Liu, is the deputy director of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Wangkui County People’s Congress. On January 16, 2024, the Wangkui County Public Security Bureau detained him on suspicion of extortion. On the same day, Liu’s parents were also imprisoned because of the case.
According to the defendant’s family and the defense lawyer, the extortion case originated from Liu’s then-superior, Ding, the former director of the Wangkui County People’s Congress Standing Committee, who reported that he was threatened and extorted by Liu and his parents.
The defendant’s family and the defense lawyer claimed that before the incident, Ding and Liu were in a relationship, and Ding later framed Liu’s family of three due to emotional disputes. The defendant’s family denied the accusation of extortion.
It is reported that because the case involved relevant leaders of the Wangkui County People’s Congress, Liu’s case of being accused of extortion was designated to be handled by the judicial authorities of Lanxi County, Suihua City, and Liu’s parents were not prosecuted by the Wangkui County Procuratorate in September 2024.
The defendant’s family said that Liu’s father was released in September 2024, “He was detained for nearly 8 months.” The “Decision of Non-Prosecution” of Liu’s father shows that the Wangkui County Public Security Bureau determined that Liu and his parents were suspected of extorting Ding of more than 3.8 million yuan. The Wangkui County Procuratorate believed that after its review and returning for supplementary investigation twice, the facts of the crime determined by the investigation agency were unclear and the evidence was insufficient. After discussion and decision by the Procuratorial Committee, it decided not to prosecute Liu’s father due to doubts; Liu’s mother was detained for nearly a month and was released on bail on February 11, 2024, and was also not prosecuted by the procuratorial authorities due to doubts.
Liu’s family said that Liu’s case of being accused of extortion was prosecuted by the Lanxi County Procuratorate in March 2025 and is currently being tried in the Lanxi County Court. Liu’s defense lawyer said that the defendant Liu was accused of extorting Ding of property totaling more than 3.8 million yuan, “and another three million (yuan) was not successful.”
Public information shows that Ding, the above-mentioned criminal case reporter, was elected as the director of the 18th Wangkui County People’s Congress Standing Committee in 2021; after the incident, that is, on May 28, 2024, the 18th Wangkui County People’s Congress Standing Committee held a meeting and read out the “Decision (Draft) on Accepting Ding’s Resignation as the Director of the County People’s Congress Standing Committee”; on December 31, 2024, the 18th Wangkui County People’s Congress Standing Committee held a meeting and agreed to Ding’s resignation as a deputy to the 5th Suihua Municipal People’s Congress.
Regarding the summons of lawyer Zhang Xinnian, the defense lawyer of Liu, by the police, the local official’s public response is still pending.
It is worth mentioning that the law of our country clearly stipulates that the investigation agency of the case handled by the defense lawyer shall not be responsible for investigating the relevant cases involved in the defense lawyer’s defense work. According to Article 44 of the “Criminal Procedure Law” of our country, “The defender or any other person shall not help the criminal suspect or defendant conceal, destroy, or forge evidence or collude, nor shall they threaten or induce witnesses to make false testimony and engage in other activities that interfere with the litigation activities of the judicial authorities. Those who violate the provisions of the preceding paragraph shall be held legally responsible. If the defender is suspected of a crime, it shall be handled by the investigation agency other than the investigation agency that handles the case handled by the defender. If the defender is a lawyer, his law firm or the lawyer association to which he belongs shall be notified in a timely manner.”
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