The Jiancha Ribao has just reported that Yang Zaiming, a lawyer specializing in demolition cases and head of the Beijing-based Shengting Law Firm, yesterday was assaulted and beaten by more than ten local officials.
Yang, whose firm has represented more than 600 plaintiffs in demolition cases, was in the home of a client in Zhenjiang city (Jiangsu province) as more than ten men bearing demolition office badges broke into the house, dragged him and his colleague Bi Wenqiang outside and brought them to the village committee , where they endured a severe beating. Another colleague, Zhou Xuliang, was tied up and left in the client's house.
Yang, Bi and Zhou were rescued by the police thirty minutes later. To avoid a further assault, the three men spent the night at the police station.
Less than a week ago, Yang's law firm drafted a proposal on compensating and relocating citizens affected by demolitions. The proposal was presented to the NPC and the Legislative Office of the State Council as the second draft of the Rules on the Requisition and Compensation of Buildings on State-owned Land (国有土地上房屋征收与补偿条例) was published to solicit opinions.
Yang has publicly advocated a bigger role for lawyers in making legislation. While the second draft states that demolitions must be decided by courts, according to Yang the draft rules do not contain sufficient provisions on requisition and compensation of building on rural and collective land.
