Christian lawyer released from China's 'black jail'
A Christian lawyer who was detained in China for seven months was released.
Lawyer Zhang Kai posted a message in Chinese social networking site WeChat on Wednesday, saying that he has been released from prison. He was put behind bars last year for assisting in the litigation of religion-based cases.
New York Times quotes his post: "I have returned to my home in Inner Mongolia safely. Thank you to my friends for your concern, caring and giving consolation to my family during this time. And thanks to the Wenzhou police, who have taken care of me during this time."
In a report published in ChinaChange.org on Aug. 31, Zhang's employer Beijing Xinqiao Law Firm explained in detail what the 37-year-old lawyer had been doing to defend the churches, particularly against the government's campaign to have crosses removed -- around 1,200 of which were taken down as of September last year, said The Guardian. Yang Xinquan, the firm's director, said that Zhang "has been the most active and become the most deeply involved."
On Aug. 8, two weeks prior to his arrest, Zhang posted a message in the same social media site that reads, "I've made up my mind: the most they can do is jail me. But if I stay silent, I'll regret it my whole life."
The lawyer, along with his assistant Liu Peng, disappeared on Aug. 25, 2015 from Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province where he had been working with Christians for a year.
The Telegraph reports that Zhang was charged with "gathering a crowd to disturb public order" and "endangering state secrets," and was detained in what is called as "black jail." Last month, in a televised "confession," he admitted to endangering national security, among other things.
U.S.-based Christian rights group China Aid said Zhang's relatives have confirmed his release, and the group's director Bob Fu said, "Zhang Kai is a bold human rights lawyer and a defender of the rule of law and religious freedom, and is completely innocent."
The conditions of Zhang's release are uncertain, however, and it is unclear if he is on bail pending trial.
