一个为争取上场权被终身禁赛球员的自白A Self-Confession of a Player Who Was Banned for Life for Fighting for the Right to Play

本人是2001年7月，北京大学法学院博士毕业后直接在北京做律师的。

I graduated with a JD from Peking University Law School in July 2001 and started practicing law in Beijing.

办理离校手续时，突然接到学校通知：你的毕业去向超服务范围，要去财务处交24000元培养费。

When I was going through the departure procedures, I was suddenly notified by the school that my job placement exceeded the service range and that I had to pay 24,000 RMB to the finance office as a training fee.

我马上去财务处质问：我是公费生，不是委培生，一个法学院的学生去律所工作，怎么成了超范围择业？

I immediately questioned the finance office, saying, "I am a publicly funded student, not a commissioned student. How can a law student working at a law firm be considered out of bounds?"

财务处的老师说：你没有进国有单位，按规定，就要交培养费，这是国家规定。

The finance officer replied, "Since you did not enter a state-owned unit, according to the regulations, you must pay the training fee. This is a state policy."

从此，我就经常戏称自己是北大自费生。

From then on, I often jokingly referred to myself as a self-funded student of Peking University.

其实，我们这代人享受了国家的公费教育，成就了自己的人生，对此，我一直是领情的。

In fact, our generation benefited from publicly funded education and built successful lives, for which I have always been grateful.

我毕业前没有和其他同学一样选择进公安部、最高法、最高检以及国家部委，而是和几个同学一起创办律所，并不是对律师职业多么热爱，而是选择了一个对法科生而言最自由的工作，我图的就是自在。

Before graduation, unlike my peers who entered the Ministry of Public Security, the Supreme Court, or the Supreme Procuratorate, I started a law firm with several classmates. It wasn't out of a deep passion for the profession but for the freedom it provided.

开始律师生涯的2001年，中国刚刚入世，国家经济蒸蒸日上，整个社会洋溢着乐观的情绪。

When I began my legal career in 2001, China had just joined the WTO, the economy was booming, and society was filled with optimism.

我刚毕业时，租住复兴门附近国家广电总局家属院的房子。

After graduating, I rented an apartment in the National Broadcasting Bureau's residential area near Fuxingmen.

2001年7月13日晚，中国申奥成功。我在现场，感受到了北京市民拥上街头，沿长安街自发庆祝的热烈气氛。那时的我，对未来充满了希望。

On the evening of July 13, 2001, when China successfully won the Olympic bid, I was there, witnessing Beijing residents spontaneously flood the streets of Chang'an Avenue to celebrate. At that time, I was filled with hope for the future.

刚做律师的前半年，靠着北大同学圈的资源，我的运气好得出奇。

In the first six months of practicing law, thanks to the resources within my Peking University alumni network, I was remarkably lucky.

当时我主要的案件有两个，一是某央企内部反腐移交河北某基层检察院以贪污、挪用公款罪查处的案件，检察院办了一阵子后，表示法律上证据上不能成立，要撤案。

At the time, I handled two major cases. One was an internal anti-corruption case involving a central state-owned enterprise that had been transferred to a grassroots procuratorate in Hebei for investigation on charges of embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds. After some investigation, the procuratorate concluded that there was insufficient legal and evidentiary support and intended to drop the case.

但是，如果这个案子办不成，企业主要领导的威信会受到损害，甚至面临班子成员内部的反击。

However, if the case was not pursued, the main leadership of the enterprise would lose credibility, even risking internal backlash from other executives.

二是北京一个大国企总经理的好朋友，从这家国企辞职后创业，因为涉及某国有烟厂厂长的窝案，正以涉嫌非法经营罪在河北某中院一审的案件。

The second case involved a friend of a general manager from a major state-owned enterprise in Beijing. After resigning and starting a business, he got entangled in a corruption case involving the head of a state-owned tobacco factory, and was being tried in a Hebei court for alleged illegal business operations.

神奇的是，第二个案件中起主导作用的省纪委常委，当时正想把儿子调入第一个案件中的央企工作，因为这层关系，到了年底，两个案件都取得了非常满意的效果。

Interestingly, the main figure in the second case, a provincial discipline inspection committee member, was trying to arrange a job for his son in the central enterprise involved in the first case. Thanks to this connection, both cases were resolved satisfactorily by the end of the year.

总之，那些年，律师执业过程中，找关系是常态，也没人觉得有什么不当，差别只在于有的律师只去推动合理合法的事，有的人就不太有底线了。

In short, during those years, building relationships was the norm in legal practice, and no one thought much of it. The difference was that some lawyers only facilitated legal matters, while others lacked such ethical boundaries.

很多年之后，看到朋友圈里熟悉的一些人因为胃口太大，路子太野摊上了事，有的躲在国外长期不能回来，有的则付出了自由的代价。

Years later, I saw familiar faces from my circle get into trouble due to their greed or recklessness—some fled abroad, unable to return, while others paid with their freedom.

我很庆幸自己这些年，明明有机会依附权力挣大钱，却因为性格原因，守住了底线。

I’m grateful that, despite having opportunities to make big money through political connections, I held onto my principles due to my character.

我做律师一年半后，在北京算是挣到了平生第一桶金，买了房买了车，也一度有些膨胀，动作有些变形，并在最熟悉的小圈子里留下了笑柄。

After a year and a half as a lawyer, I made my first fortune in Beijing, bought a house and a car, and became a bit arrogant, which led to some embarrassing moments in my close social circle.

但是，当时我做律师毕竟时间不长，经验上人脉上都积累太少，很快就遇到了执业生涯中第一个冰川期。

However, I had only been practicing law for a short time, and my experience and network were still limited. Soon, I encountered the first "ice age" in my legal career.

2003年10月，沈阳的所谓黑老大刘涌，本来已经被二审判了死缓，不知为什么，就引发了舆情，在更高领导的明确指示下，最高法院下达了再审通知书，摆明了要把死缓判决改为死刑立即执行。

In October 2003, Liu Yong, a notorious gang leader from Shenyang, had already been sentenced to death with a reprieve after his second trial. However, for some unknown reason, public opinion surged, and under clear instructions from higher authorities, the Supreme Court issued a retrial notice, intending to change the sentence to immediate execution.

这个案子本和我没有关系，但是，我从2002年6月开始接手的浙江金华一起所谓的最大黑社会案件，第一被告人一审判了死刑立即执行，我接了二审，沟通和辩护工作一度非常顺利。

This case had nothing to do with me, but since June 2002, I had been handling what was called the biggest organized crime case in Jinhua, Zhejiang. The first defendant was sentenced to immediate execution in the first trial, and I took over the appeal. Communication and defense work had been going smoothly.

我们找了高铭暄教授、储槐植教授，公安部法医专家陈世贤等人出了专家意见，二审法院也正在考虑改判，突然间，受刘涌案舆论的影响，没人敢出头了，我的当事人，马上将面临维持原判被执行死刑的结局。

We had sought expert opinions from Professors Gao Mingxuan and Chu Huaizhi, and forensic expert Chen Shixian from the Ministry of Public Security. The appellate court was considering reducing the sentence when suddenly, influenced by the public outcry over Liu Yong's case, no one dared to intervene. My client was about to face execution as the original sentence would likely be upheld.

我觉得这个人太冤了，他一个农民，因为身在义乌，把握住了历史的机会，成为全国第一个承包义乌到东北的货运专列的农民。

I felt my client was being wronged. He was just a farmer who, being in Yiwu, had seized a historical opportunity to become the first farmer in the country to contract freight trains from Yiwu to Northeast China.

义乌当时对物流的各个线路都是指定给出钱最多的一家专营，但是，因为搞物流的利润太高，总有其他人偷偷地组货外运，政府也是只管外包线路不提供保护，我的当事人就自己组织了一帮人，见到违规组货的，就私力救济。

At that time, Yiwu designated logistics routes to the highest bidder, but due to the high profits in logistics, others secretly organized and transported goods without permission. The government only outsourced the routes and didn’t provide protection. My client gathered a group to take matters into their own hands, confronting unauthorized transporters.

这个过程中，出过几起故意伤害案件，但没有命案。

During this process, there were several cases of intentional injury, but no deaths.

后来，赶上90年代末的打黑，当地司法机关就把他打成了所谓39个特大黑社会性质组织的老大，他的财产八九千万，还在审查起诉阶段，就被检察院用去盖楼了，当地律师会见，检察院都要求先签保证书，不允许提财产问题。

Later, during the anti-gang crackdown of the late 1990s, local judicial authorities labeled him as the leader of a so-called 39-member mega organized crime syndicate. His assets, worth 80 to 90 million yuan, were confiscated by the procuratorate during the investigation and used to construct buildings. Local lawyers were required to sign guarantee letters during meetings with clients, forbidding any mention of the confiscated assets.

我在为了这个案件绞尽脑汁时，自己2003年上半年相当红火的律师业务，也陷入低谷，整个下半年，没有接到一个新案子，这就加剧了我的情绪低落，到了2004年春天，整个人半年内瘦了二十斤，因为精神压力大，患上了胃反酸。

As I racked my brains over this case, my once-thriving law practice in the first half of 2003 fell into a slump. I didn’t receive any new cases in the second half of the year, which worsened my depression. By the spring of 2004, I had lost twenty pounds in six months due to stress and developed acid reflux.

有一次，家里人叹着气说：庆方几个月没有笑过了吧！

At one point, a family member sighed and said, "Qingfang hasn’t smiled in months, has he?"

好在，到了2004年6月，我又开始和同学管事的大企业集团合作，也陆续接了新的案件，有了稳定的收入预期，人也就从焦虑中走了出来。

Fortunately, by June 2004, I began collaborating with a large corporate group managed by a classmate and gradually took on new cases. With a stable income in sight, I was able to emerge from my anxiety.

金华的黑社会案，经过家属和律师的共同努力，获得了当时的最高法院副院长姜兴长的批示，浙江高院院长和常务副院长随即也明确指示要求合议庭落实姜院长批示精神，到了2005年初，这个案件终于改判死缓，当事人的命保住了。

Thanks to the joint efforts of the family and lawyers, the Jinhua organized crime case received instructions from then Vice President of the Supreme Court Jiang Xingchang. The president and executive vice president of the Zhejiang High Court also issued clear instructions to the collegial panel to follow Jiang’s guidance. By early 2005, the sentence was finally commuted to death with reprieve, saving my client’s life.

经过此案，我认识到自己具备成为一个好刑辩律师的潜质：和当事人高度共情。

Through this case, I realized I had the potential to become a good criminal defense lawyer due to my deep empathy with clients.

但是，我也反复提醒自己，不能把自己混同于当事人，否则，再遇到类似的案件，我可能就支撑不下去。

However, I kept reminding myself not to fully identify with my clients. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to handle similar cases in the future.

2005年之后，我的律师业务就一直比较平稳，我从来不是一个拼命三郎，也不去主动揽案子，但是，北大同学圈总是不断有案件介绍过来，我的专业判断极少出闪失，几年下来，做成了不少不起诉，不批捕的案子，和几家大公司合作的民商事案件也总体结果不错。

After 2005, my legal practice stabilized. I was never a workaholic nor did I actively seek out cases, but my Peking University network continued to refer cases to me. My professional judgment rarely failed, and over the years, I successfully handled many cases that ended in non-prosecution or no arrests. My collaborations on civil and commercial cases with large companies also yielded good results overall.

到了2010年，我就开始大把地捐钱给母校了。

By 2010, I began making generous donations to my alma mater.

总之那些年，是中国经济和法治都发展最顺风顺水的十年，我从来就没有特别努力过，平时大部分时间都在办公室里读古诗词，读古希腊以来的哲学史，读各主要国家的历史，读中国历代断代史，也维持了不错的收入。

In short, those were the smoothest years for both China's economy and the development of the rule of law. I never had to put in special effort. Most of the time, I would sit in my office reading ancient Chinese poetry, the history of philosophy since ancient Greece, the histories of major countries, and the histories of China's various dynasties, all while maintaining a decent income.

赶上中国国企黄金腐败十年，长期为国企服务的我，刚毕业就享受了制度腐败，平时自己花钱，也一贯大手大脚。

I happened to ride the wave of the golden decade of corruption in China’s state-owned enterprises. Having served SOEs for a long time, I benefited from systemic corruption right after graduation. I was also quite extravagant in my personal spending during that time.

那些年，有事没事，应酬很多，经常是晚饭刚酒过三巡，席间就有人急切地问后半场怎么安排？从不唱歌跳舞的我，经常不得不在歌舞厅夜总会坚持到凌晨，纸醉金迷之后，也难免空虚。

In those years, whether there was business or not, social engagements were frequent. After three rounds of drinks at dinner, someone would often eagerly ask, “What’s the plan for the after-party?” Although I never sang or danced, I often had to endure nights in karaoke and nightclubs until dawn. After such indulgences, I couldn’t help but feel empty.

后来，傅局打了天上人间，关了四大名楼，对傅局一向不以为然的我，唯独对他此举，是赞成的，这节省了我多少时间！

Later, Director Fu cracked down on the infamous “Heaven on Earth” nightclub and shut down the four major nightclubs. Though I usually disapproved of Director Fu, this action was the one thing I supported—it saved me a lot of time!

2013年前的中国司法，虽然王首席也提出了三个至上，也造成了一定程度的困惑，总体上，大方向是讲司法公开、公正，加上越来越强有力的媒体监督，只要你的案件确实问题明显，你又能抓住重点，说理充分，还是比较容易达到目的的。

Before 2013, although Chief Justice Wang proposed the concept of the “Three Supremes,” which caused some confusion, the overall trend was towards transparency and fairness in the judiciary. With increasingly powerful media supervision, as long as there were clear issues in your case and you could focus on the key points with strong arguments, it was relatively easy to achieve your goals.

当然，那些年，也是法律人共同体吃吃喝喝最频繁，最没有制约的时代，可左可右的案件，你有没有去做工作，有没有找到直接管事的人，做工作到不到位，对案件结果影响可就大了。这一点上，过来人都心知肚明。

Of course, those years were also when the legal community engaged in the most frequent and unrestrained wining and dining. For cases that could go either way, whether you worked behind the scenes, whether you found the right person in charge, and how well you handled things could significantly affect the outcome. Everyone in the industry was fully aware of this.

总之，那些年，是我对法治最有信心的时期。

In short, those were the years when I had the most confidence in the rule of law.

当然，同一时期，我也深刻意识到，中国法治中的一些深层次问题，在当下的权力架构中，是无解的。比如：涉及地方利益，地方政府强力推动的事，法律标准就只能让步，而且，作为律师，几乎没有渠道去改变。

At the same time, I also deeply realized that some of the deeper issues in China’s legal system were unsolvable under the current power structure. For example, when local government interests were involved, legal standards had to give way to government directives, and as a lawyer, there was almost no way to change this.

2007年，西南某少数民族地区，当地的电力公司被一个资本市场的大忽悠控股后，就以电力公司的股份拿去融资，最后造成了数亿的窟窿，造成公司无法正常运营，严重影响地方财政收入。

In 2007, in a minority region in the southwest, the local power company was taken over by a major con artist in the capital markets. He used the company’s shares to raise funds, creating a deficit of several hundred million yuan, rendering the company unable to operate normally and severely affecting the local government's revenue.

地方政府不得已对电力公司重新国有化后，就利用公安经侦支队化债，在全国各地抓了多名给这家公司贷款的银行行长，明知这些贷款没有问题，硬是以抓人威胁，逼着银行不但要放弃贷款利息，连本金都要大打折扣。

After the local government was forced to re-nationalize the power company, they used the public security economic investigation squad to resolve the debt crisis. They arrested multiple bank managers nationwide who had lent money to the company, even though the loans were legitimate. They used the arrests as a threat to force the banks not only to forgo the interest but also to deeply discount the principal.

我接受委托为深圳一个银行行长辩护后，在批捕期内，通过四川高院一个庭长介绍，紧急去见负责批捕的州检察院检察长，尽管我们的无罪理由非常充分，检察长本人对这些专业意见也都接受，但是他也很坦诚：这是州主要领导的意见，是州政法委罗书记亲自主抓的，我们也做不了主。

After being commissioned to defend a bank manager in Shenzhen, I urgently went to see the procuratorate chief responsible for the arrest with the help of a director from the Sichuan High Court. Although our defense for innocence was solid and the procurator himself accepted our professional arguments, he was candid: "This is the decision of the state's top leadership, and it’s being handled directly by Secretary Luo of the state's political and legal committee. We have no say."

建议你直接找州委吴XX书记。接下来，这个案子还是被批捕。

He suggested that I directly contact Secretary Wu of the state party committee. In the end, the case was still approved for arrest.

几个月后，主抓化债的州政法委罗书记带队去深圳，银行同意放弃全部表外利息后，被抓的行长才恢复了自由。

A few months later, Secretary Luo led a team to Shenzhen to handle the debt, and after the bank agreed to waive all off-balance-sheet interest, the arrested manager was released.

通过这个案子，我当时就感慨：如果梁山寨也有公检法，又何必劳师远征地去打祝家庄，大名府？

Reflecting on this case, I couldn’t help but think, “If the outlaws of Liangshan had their own public security and legal system, would they have needed to go on a long expedition to defeat the Zhu Family Village or Daming Prefecture?”

我们国家虽然也一直强调司法机关独立行使审判权，检察权，但是，司法权在党政权力面前，何等卑微？公民、企业和律师，面对地方政府的公然违法，完全没有正常的维权渠道。

Our country has long emphasized the independence of the judiciary in exercising adjudication and prosecution powers. However, in the face of party and government power, judicial authority is so insignificant. Citizens, businesses, and lawyers have no legitimate channels to protect their rights when faced with blatant local government violations.

十几年后的今天，地方化解政府债务过程中，以刑化债屡见不鲜。我2007年感慨的司法困局，依然无解。

More than ten years later, criminalizing debt resolution during local governments’ debt crises has become commonplace. The judicial dilemma I lamented in 2007 remains unsolved.

2013年，我接受邀请，为同学许博士辩护，这个决定成了我律师之路的转折点。

In 2013, I accepted an invitation to defend my classmate, Dr. Xu, and this decision became a turning point in my career as a lawyer.

当时，中国的维权群体还被世界高度关注，我代理这个案件，除了非洲媒体没找上门来，连巴西、阿根廷的媒体都来采访。

At that time, China's rights defense movement was still attracting worldwide attention. In representing this case, I was interviewed by media from all over the world, except African outlets. Media from South America, including Brazil and Argentina, even came for interviews.

当时的市司法局于局非要给我停止执业半年，后来经过抗争，给了灵活处理。

The local judicial bureau chief, Yu, insisted on suspending my law practice for six months, but after some resistance, they settled for a more flexible resolution.

但当时伍雷就说：一日为XX犯辩护，终身XX犯，庆方你以后就别想着回到过去了，和我们一样吧。

At that time, Wu Lei told me, “Once you defend a political dissident, you will be marked as one for life. Qingfang, forget about going back to the past. You’ll be like us now.”

后来，有关部门把我和主要客户之间的往来查了个遍，我也被证明经得起查。

Later, the authorities thoroughly investigated my dealings with my main clients, but I was proven to be clean.

我在体制内的好多朋友，因为我代理这个案件，很长时间内，不敢和我联系。

Many of my friends within the system were afraid to contact me for a long time because I took on this case.

2014年春节，我过了一个相当落寞的新年，给这些朋友的拜年短信，竟然没有人回复。

During the 2014 Chinese New Year, I spent a rather lonely holiday. None of the friends I sent New Year’s greetings to responded.

我和一些国企之间的合作，也被有关方面以不允许吃饭砸锅为由要求停止。

My collaborations with certain state-owned enterprises were also halted under the pretext of not being allowed to “bite the hand that feeds.”

2015年7月，有一些律师同行受到追究那次，我也受到了影响，同年8月11日，我和夫人带着女儿以及一个同学的儿子在首都机场过边检准备登机去美国时，他们三人进去了，我被拦下。

In July 2015, some fellow lawyers were investigated, and I was affected as well. On August 11 of the same year, as my wife, daughter, and a classmate’s son were passing through immigration at Beijing Capital Airport to board a flight to the United States, the three of them were allowed through, but I was stopped.

不过，有司也没有特别难为我，经过调查，没发现我和案件有什么牵连，几个月后，我就可以自由出入境了。

However, the authorities didn’t make things too difficult for me. After an investigation found no connection between me and any particular case, I was free to leave and enter the country again a few months later.

当时，境外媒体对此有报道，台湾的师兄看到报道后，马上打来电话安慰：转型期漫长而痛苦，不要着急。

At the time, this incident was reported by foreign media. My senior brother in Taiwan saw the reports and immediately called to comfort me, saying, “The transition period is long and painful. Don’t rush.”

不过，2015年之后，因为反腐运动抓了一大批国企领导，几乎每个国企领导都牵连出一批民企老板，我因为和好多国企领导的私交还在，因此代理了不少此类案件，四五年间，收入不错，比给国企干法律顾问时，又轻松很多。

After 2015, due to the anti-corruption campaign, many state-owned enterprise leaders were arrested, and almost every leader implicated a group of private enterprise owners. Since I still had personal connections with many SOE leaders, I took on a considerable number of such cases over the next four or five years, earning a decent income—easier work than being a legal advisor for SOEs.

但是，从2019年开始，我明显感受到中国民企普遍陷入了债务危机，即便面临刑事风险时，愿意拿出几百万的也不容易碰到了。

However, starting in 2019, I clearly sensed that China’s private enterprises were falling into widespread debt crises. Even when facing criminal risks, it became rare to find clients willing to pay millions for legal representation.

疫情的前两年，我过着半躺平的生活，悠游岁月，心态非常放松。

During the first two years of the pandemic, I lived a semi-retired life, enjoying the leisure and feeling very relaxed.

疫情最后一年，悲观情绪开始生长，我倒不担心防疫迟迟不能结束，而是对未来很长时间内，作为一个执业律师，还能不能有所作为，产生了深深的怀疑。

In the last year of the pandemic, feelings of pessimism began to grow. I wasn’t worried about the prolonged anti-pandemic measures, but I began to deeply doubt whether, as a practicing lawyer, I could still make a meaningful impact in the long term.

去年以来，我在代理多起职务犯罪案件中，对地方纪委肆无忌惮地破坏法治，制造冤案的做法，进行了公开的揭露。

Since last year, while representing several cases of job-related crimes, I publicly exposed the reckless destruction of the rule of law and the fabrication of wrongful cases by local disciplinary inspection commissions.

对放弃法定的监督职责，无条件地配合纪委办冤案的地方检法办案人员和领导，进行了控告。

I also filed complaints against local prosecutors and judges who, abandoning their legal oversight duties, unconditionally cooperated with the disciplinary commissions to create wrongful cases.

我在执业中发现的事实让我坚信：哪怕是为了反腐这样崇高的目标，地方纪委的权力运作也不能不受监督，我既然看到了对纪委，检察院不敢监督，法院不敢监督的事实，作为一个刑辩律师，就有义务在个案中，讲出真相。

The facts I uncovered in my practice convinced me that even in the noble pursuit of anti-corruption, the power of local disciplinary commissions must be subject to oversight. Seeing that neither the procuratorates nor the courts dared to oversee the commissions, I felt it was my duty as a criminal defense lawyer to speak the truth in individual cases.

否则，中国官员没有安全和尊严，中国企业家的人身自由和财产没有保证，中国经济没有前途，整个国家没有前途。

Otherwise, Chinese officials would have no safety or dignity, Chinese entrepreneurs’ personal freedom and property would not be guaranteed, China’s economy would have no future, and the country itself would have no future.

如今，他们竟然以我在某地一个官员的案件中为了争辩护权，采取了过激行动为由，要吊销我的律师证。

Now, they are trying to revoke my law license, claiming that I took extreme actions in defending an official in one case to assert my right to defend.

对此，早有同行指出：官方强行安排法援律师，比球场上的黑哨更恶劣。

Some of my colleagues had already pointed out that forcing government-assigned legal aid lawyers is worse than a biased referee in a game.

黑哨，只是扭曲规则。而占坑律师，连一方的球员上场的机会都不给，你要强行为另一方安排自己的球员，这比赛还有公正吗？

A biased referee merely distorts the rules, but with government-assigned lawyers, one side isn’t even given the chance to play. If you force one side to use your own players, can the game still be fair?

作为一个为了争取上场权被终身禁赛的球员，我不为自己的所作所为而后悔。

As a player banned for life for fighting for the right to play, I do not regret my actions.

尽管整个过程中，我的行为伤害了一些人，这些人中，有无奈的，都是被逼的，但没有完全无辜的。

Although my actions hurt some people in the process, these individuals were not entirely innocent, as they acted out of helplessness or under pressure.

你把自己当成制造冤案的一个环节，对被构陷的人，就公平吗？

If you see yourself as a cog in the machine that creates wrongful cases, is that fair to those being framed?

大家都心安理得地为了自己的安全无视别人的权利，最终岂不是人人受害！

When everyone is complacent in ignoring the rights of others for their own safety, doesn’t that mean we all suffer in the end?

未来之路，我不做过多的预期。古人讲君子进则思忠，退则补过。

I don’t have many expectations for the road ahead. The ancients said that a gentleman reflects on loyalty when advancing and contemplates his mistakes when retreating.

我既然为了情怀，承受了风险。以后一段时间，除了尽可能地把手头的案件过渡工作安排好，减少对当事人的影响外，就是更多地反思自己，多读书，多反省，希望以后的人生中，不再辜负人，不再伤害人。

Since I have taken risks for my ideals, in the future, apart from properly transitioning my current cases to minimize the impact on my clients, I plan to reflect more on myself, read more, and introspect more. I hope that in the rest of my life, I won’t disappoint or hurt others.

我不认为自己现在的处境，意味着全国同行的路会越走越窄，我甚至善意地想：也许，处罚我的同时，主管部门也会向上反映，为中国刑辩律师争取一些空间。

I don’t believe that my current predicament means that the path for all lawyers in China will become narrower. In fact, I even optimistically think that while punishing me, the authorities might also advocate for more space for Chinese criminal defense lawyers.

我也不认为中国法治没有出路，律师制度没有出路，只要市场经济还在，律师职业就不会消失。只是，未来几年，会很难，留下来的同行，对困难要有更充分的准备。

I don’t believe that there’s no future for the rule of law in China or for the legal profession. As long as the market economy exists, the legal profession will not disappear. However, the next few years will be tough, and those who remain in the profession must be better prepared for difficulties.

我不会完全淡出中国律师圈，不会完全淡出中国法律圈。我会永远留在国内，作一个自为的存在，是为记。

I will not completely withdraw from the Chinese legal community or the legal profession. I will always remain in this country, as an independent presence. This is my record.

2024年10月16日

October 16, 2024