Instead of a normal court hearing, the trial on Wednesday appeared more like a prepared drama. Hundreds of reporters waited outside the court, in the hope of learning “shocking” information about the case, which includes well-known military singer Li Shuangjiang’s son, who gang-raped a woman with another four men on February. The case was not a public hearing because it includes teenagers, whose privacy must be protected under law, but many details had been exposed by the lawyers before the trial. Lawyers of all five suspects and the woman’s lawyer made a lot of debate on the Internet before the trial, making the case more confused. Wu Ming’an, a law professor from the China University of Political Science and Law, said it was a pity to see such a “performance” by the lawyers. “It can be understood that the two parties freely spoke their opinions, but it’s not professional or wise to see lawyers do the same,” Wu said. “Instead, the lawyers should guide and persuade their clients(当事人) to calm down, especially for such a non-public and sensitive case.” China has no clear rule to manage lawyers’ behavior before trials, “but it should be general knowledge that the lawyers of the two sides cannot leak too many details, particularly in a case that includes teenagers”, Wu added. Yi Shenghua, a lawyer who has been following the case, said it does more harm than good to both parties for such detailed information to be exposed before the trial. “It’s OK for lawyers to speak, but what is said must be reasonable and legal. Although judgments should not be affected by public opinion, it’s hard for them not to be,” he said, suggesting judicial authorities should speak out if the case goes wrongly. Trials must be conducted based on evidence, while lawyers should protect their clients’ rights instead of adding fuel to the flames, Yi said. In my eyes, the most important aspect of the case, lies in how to make lawyers do their work more professionally and reasonably. 小题1:Why was the case not a public hearing?
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