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The cause of the delay in Wang's case coming to court is attributable to one thing alone: the Chinese state's ridiculous insistence on playing the two opposing roles of prosecutor and defence counsel simultaneously.
The motive for this is clear enough. In doing no more than tell the truth about Wang's alleged "crimes", an independent defence lawyer appointed by the family would undoubtedly paint a very unattractive picture of China's judicial system and by extension its government, which, in "sensitive" cases like Wang's, is notorious for merely dictating verdicts to the courts to hand down.
There is no shortage of people in China who, in spite of the risks to their own liberty, would be willing (honoured, in fact) to be Wang's defence counsel and defend him to the best of their ability against the state's groundless and politically-motivated allegations against him. But in these times of unprecedented censorship it's clear that the state, for its part, can no longer bear to hear the truth said about itself in case the truth proves to be its undoing.
Even history's worst dictators have surely been conscious at some level of the old expression: Magna est veritas et praevalebit - "The truth is great and will prevail".
I trust it will.
Jan 03, 2019 11:12 PM
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