Born in the 1970s - Wang Weihua, 43
Print Edition
Lawyer Wang Weihua admits his dream is a tall order, however noble. He envisions a judicial system in China where “all men are equal in the eyes of the law.”
A practicing lawyer for 17 years, Wang says of his dream, “Too big, isn’t it? But that’s my true wish.”
Wang, 43, specializes in helping people that he believes have been falsely accused or wrongly sentenced. He says he still has faith in the Chinese legal system.
“Development of the rule of law in China is taking place, though slowly,” he says.
Now with the Yingke Law Firm in Shanghai, Wang started his legal career in 1996 after graduating from Nanjing University in Jiangsu Province. He holds a master’s degree and also an MBA in economics and management.
Like many who enter law, Wang was a young man with a great passion for justice when he started his career. “I was naïve and inexperienced, not realizing how bumpy the road would be,” he admits.
One of the biggest obstacles, as he sees it, is the imbalance of power between defendants and plaintiffs. A lawsuit against someone who is wealthy or politically well-connected can be difficult, he notes.
“Sometimes, officials stick together and cover for each other,” Wang explains.
In cases where government is involved, simple things can become complicated, and it’s difficult for a lawyer to collect the evidence. Wang says he’s used to being fobbed off by government officials who say, “we don’t have the material you are asking for” or “the person you need to see is on a business trip.”
Wang then has to file to the superior court or to higher-level departments to press his search for the truth. However, the stumbling blocks don’t deter him.
“I still feel the rule of law in China is moving forward,” he says. “Some of my lawyer friends tell me I should feel responsible for clients only because they pay me, but I don’t quite agree. A healthy legal system and harmonious society need people like us.”
Currently he is working on a murder case in Beihai in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It involves one person sentenced to death and another sentenced to death but given a reprieve with prison.
Due to lack of evidence, the case has been remanded from the Guangxi Superior People’s Court for retrial twice during the past six years.
The lawyer says there is no evidence, such as fingerprints, footprints, bloodstains or saliva samples, that prove his clients were murderers.
“The only evidence is their confessions, which were apparently forced at the police station,” Wang says.
He doesn’t flinch, however.
“I dream that one day this country will be ruled by law instead of by power,” the lawyer says.
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