Trial in China tests limits of legal system reform

BEIJING - Attorney in one case has galvanized defense lawyers in China and a window that fragile can display legal system of the country such as the next generation of leaders, went on trial Tuesday with the production of testimony to its customers.

The lawyer, Li Zhuang, a 50-year-old man from Beijing, incitement has been accused of a client on fake certificate. Mr Li was sentenced on similar charges after one of his clients before, a convicted gangster from the Western City of Chongqing, against him late last witnessed the year. Mr Li is currently 18 months in prison.

But some Chinese commentators appear to believe that Mr Li is guilty in both cases. Many think that he was framed to combat what they see as a raw campaign against corruption.

"Li Zhuang case is so important because it is on the judicial reform, is an indicator, to what extent China come", law professor Beijing University, said he Weifang, which also a sharp criticism has posted the case on his blog. "It will be 30 years China's legal reform back."

The unusual case started in the year 2007, as one of the most popular politicians of the country, Bo Xilai, free of charge from Chongqing, a large community of 30 million people in the Western China took over. The appointment was considered a challenge for Bo Lord, the son of one of the most powerful leaders of China. It was also as characters widely, the Bo Lord fishing was for a top job.

He was Minister for trade, so it was a remarkable movement because Chongqing was poor and suffered from some of the most serious environmental problems in China and a plague of organised crime.

But Mr Bo embarked on a number of spectacular actions in national spotlight to stay. Using methods reminiscent of political campaigns in the early period of Communist rule, he mobilized neighborhood cleanups and greetings to residents with old-style of Communist slogans, although via SMS messages sent. In particular, he began a wild raid against organised crime.

Caught in the campaign, Gong was Gangmo, the Familie end of 2009 that to defend him Mr Li had rented. Mr LI, a successful lawyer, previously which had defended against organised crime, travelled to Chongqing and met with Mr Gong. A few days later, said Mr Gong prosecutors that Mr Li advised him, falsely to testify that he was beaten for eight days and nights.

Within a month, Mr Li had tried and been sentenced to two and a half years in prison. This was reduced to one and a half years, because Mr Li worked. At the sentencing, but Chinese news reports said that Mr Li called angry that he was framed had.

On Tuesday, Mr Li went back to court. Prosecutors say that he was involved in fraud and that he attracted to fabricate witness evidence.

Many Chinese say they are appalled at what seems a crude use of the courts for political gain. In both studies, Chinese court case was ignored. Mr Li was not confronted his accuser, for example, in the location, and interrogated, his lawyers could not take it.

Newspapers and magazines with far in this case, for example, one of the leading magazines of the country, Caixin, devoted a cover story reported it and an editorial in the latest issue. Minute by minute coverage had several sites. Many say that if Mr Li is condemned, it will be to defend their customers impossible for other lawyers. "Li Zhuang defend defense is, the right to work as a lawyer in China and the ideal of Justice," Wei Rujiu, one of his lawyers, wrote in his blog on Tuesday.

The advertising is in contrast, the many lawyers who have been rounded up in a recent political crackdown in quiet. A statement, analysts say, is that Mr Li not political dissidents, so that it acceptable for the Chinese media on the issue to report.

But it can also signal that forces Bo Lord use efforts, are against Chongqing as a springboard back to Beijing, and possibly of the Politburo Standing Committee.

"Bo not undisputed in the party,", said Joshua Rosenzweig of the DUI Hua Foundation, a group in Hong Kong human rights monitoring. "It feeds in concern about how Bo has dealt with criminal justice in Chongqing."

Could have wider implications for China Bo Lord, he should win a seat of the Standing Committee, should be brought for law and order. Mr LI could make treatment a harbinger for the next Government view of the legal system.

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Japan's Ocean meets radiation 7.5 million times legal limit - Los Angeles Times

A broker leads earthquake and tsunami disaster between fish at the fish market of Hirakata, Osaka in Kita, Japan, trade, for the first time since the March 11. (Toru Yamanaka / AFP/Getty Images / Bongarts / April 5, 2011)The operator of Japan's Fukushima knit nuclear plant said Tuesday, that it radioactive iodine to 7.5 million times of the permitted in sea water sample in the vicinity of the plant had found, and Government officials imposed a new health limit for radioactivity in fish.

The reading of the iodine-131 was recorded Saturday, said Tokyo Electric Power Co.. Another example taken Monday found on 5 million times of the permitted. The Monday examples were also found contain radioactive caesium in 1.1 million times of the permitted.

The exact source of the radiation was not immediately clear, although Tepco has said that strongly contaminated water from a mine close to the No. 2 reactor were leaking has. The utility initially believed, that was the leak of a crack, but several attempts, the crack seal has failed.

On Tuesday, the company that leak could come instead from a faulty joint said the pit is a tube, so that radioactive water in a layer of gravel under penetrate. The utility said that this would fit "liquid glass" into gravel in an effort to stop more leakage.

In the meantime further Tepco share, what it than water with low radiation into the sea to make room in on-site storage tanks for more highly contaminated water. In all the company said it planned, but on Tuesday morning, it had 11,500 tons of water, less than 25% of that amount will appear.

Although the Government which authorized release of 11,500 tons and said that radiation would quickly diluted and dispersed into the ocean, fish with high readings of iodine are found.

On Monday officials recognized that more than 4,000 Bequerels iodine-131 / kg in a kind of fish called a sand eels caught less than three miles off the coast of the city Kitaibaraki, Ibaraki. The juveniles contained also 447 Bequerels of caesium-137, as problematic regarded as iodine-131, because it has a much longer half-life.

On Tuesday, chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said that the Government was establishing a standard of 2,000 Bequerels of iodine Atom per kilogram fish, allows the same level in vegetables. Previously, the Government had no specific level for fish. An another haul of the eels with 526 Bequerels of cesium was detected Tuesday, about the standard of 500 Bequerels per kilogram.

Fishing of sand removed lances. Local fishermen calls Tepco to stop the release of radioactive water into the sea and demanded that the company they compensate for their losses.

Fishing has in the close to been the plant banned, and the vast majority of fishing activities in the region has stopped tsunami and earthquake damage to boats and port on 11 March was. However, some fishermen are making catches, only to a few buyers due to concerns about the radiation to be found.

It is not clear, which could provide the Fischer Tepco, but has the company Tuesday saying that it "condolence payments" residents to local amounting to 180 million yen ($ 2 million) had to evacuate their homes due to the radiation of the Fukushima plant had offered. A city, refused payment.

The company has yet to decide as residents in the vicinity of the facility for damage, make up for it would, while financial analysts say, the claims could be in the tens of billions of dollars. TEPCO's executive Vice President said on hinges decision on damages Takashi Fujimoto of the company how much the Government are parts of the load.

Edano asked the company to speed up that his decisions on compensation.

For now the company has offered 20 million yen ($240,000) for each 10 villages, towns and cities within 12 miles of the plant give Fujimoto said.

"We hope that they will find it useful for now," he said.

Namie, a city of about 6 miles north of the plant, refused to take the money 20,600. city official Kosei Negishi said, that he and other government officials from a makeshift Office in nihonmatsu, Fukushima city, somewhere else in Fukushima Prefecture, worked and that she faced more pressing issues.

"The coastal areas of Namie hard hit we were by the earthquake and the tsunami but due to the radiation and the evacuation had order still no chance to the 200 people perform a search, are missing," said Negishi. "Why should we use our resources less than 1,000 yen ($12) to everyone, residents spent?"

Tokyo electric power Fujimoto recognised, that was a "gap" in the views of businesses and Namie officials.

TEPCO's shares fell to an all-time low Tuesday covered by the maximum daily trading Grenze--about 18%--362 yen, below the previous record low of 393 Yen in 1951 reached. Share of the company has 80% of their Wertes--nearly 1.1 trillion Yen--since the Quake and tsunami, lost after the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Fujimoto said "We share prices decline very seriously," reporters.

Fujimoto said the company's annual earnings report, which was originally scheduled for April 28, would be moved, but he declined it, all other information.

Julie.Makinen@LATimes.com

Hall is a special correspondent.

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