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Vivian Wu

Lawyers representing a pedicurist who killed an official in Hubei's  Badong county have left the area, blaming official intervention and warning that 'justice is impossible'. 
Deng Yujiao, 21, stabbed an official to death with a fruit knife after he demanded sex in a case that has become a national scandal and prompted central government censors to gag mainland media.
'The situation in Badong has become too complicated and tense. Various signs indicate that Deng's case, a simple criminal case, was manipulated and politicised ... and we have no way to continue our legal services here,' said Pu Zhiqiang, a renowned human rights lawyer speaking on behalf of Deng's two volunteer lawyers, Xia Lin  and Xia Nan  . 
'Justice is impossible, so we decided to withdraw temporarily but we will come back anytime she needs.'
Mr Pu last night explained that his team's withdrawal was the result of official intervention into their legal services to Deng and her mother Zhang Shumei  . He criticised  local police for creating obstacles in the town and for gagging the media.
Last weekend it was announced by local authorities that the lawyers were sacked by Ms Zhang. 
The lawyers dismissed this, claiming Ms Zhang had even called them to deny it and that the sacking followed their claim that evidence showing attempted rape had been concealed.
'Badong's government announced we were fired in the name of Ms Zhang. After repeatedly failing to make contact with Ms Zhang, we have enough reason to believe her freedom was restricted and the termination was against her will,' Mr Pu said. 
After their sacking, the situation in Badong county became even more tense for the lawyers when they accused another official, who was in the hotel room at the time of the stabbing, of rape.
'Our hotel rooms were bugged, our movements in the town were closely watched by many plain-clothes police, and reporters were beaten or forced to leave after the media was gagged,' Mr Pu said.
Mr Pu arrived in Badong county on Wednesday afternoon, and he confirmed reports that the area was now effectively sealed off. 
'I couldn't get a boat to Badong, and my taxi was stopped by police at checkpoints,' he said. 
'Today, we were told there were no boats between Badong and Yichang . Presumably local authorities fear netizens will swarm to the area and create instability.'
The local government earlier in the week announced Ms Zhang had picked two new lawyers for her daughter's defence - both of whom are senior members of the semi- official Hubei Lawyers Association - but Mr Pu said he hoped they 'could try their best to help Deng, free from intervention'.
From the start of the case there have been concerns about Deng's mental state. Early reports said she suffered from a sleeping disorder and had been denied sleeping pills for 15 days while she was detained. 
Netizens feared this was an attempt by authorities to  discredit her. She is now under house arrest.
Yesterday, the first day since the media was ordered to toe the official line on the case, several Hubei newspapers ran identical reports on Deng being in good health.



Lawyers for woman who killed official say case is hopeless