Zhang Sizhi

In this Chinese name, the family name is Zhang.

Zhang Sizhi (Chinese: 张思之; pinyin: Zhāng Sīzhī; 12 November 1927 – 24 June 2022) was an active rights lawyer in China, and a professor at Central University of Finance and Economics.^[1] He was known as "The lawyer's conscience". ^[2][3]

Zhang Sizhi
张思之
Sizhi in 2013
Born	(1927-11-12)12 November 1927 Zhengzhou, Henan, China
Died	24 June 2022(2022-06-24) (aged 94) Beijing, China
Occupation(s)	Legal scholar, lawyer
Known for	Civil rights advocacy
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	張思之
Simplified Chinese	张思之
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhāng Sīzhī

Biography

Zhang was born as the eldest of 10 children to Zhang Jingtang and Meng Yanrong on November 12, 1927 in Zhengzhou.^[4] His father was a doctor who practiced Chinese traditional medicine.^[5][4] In 1944, at the age of 16, he joined the Chinese Expeditionary Force.^[5][6] Three years later, he was admitted to Chaoyang university. After graduating from university, he became a judge. In 1950, he graduated from the People's University of China. During the Anti-Rightist Movement, he was divided into right, was sentenced to 15 years in a village. In 1972, he was free to act as a teacher. In July 1979, Zhang returned as a lawyer and participated in the trials of "Lin Biao Anti-Revolutionary Group Case" and "Jiang Qing Anti-Revolutionary Group Case", commonly known as the "Two Cases", serving as defense lawyers for Jiang Qing and others.^[6][7] After the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, he defended liberals such as Bao Tong, Wang Juntao, Gao Yu and Pu Zhiqiang, as well as rights lawyers.^[8][7]

On 24 June 2022, he died from cancer in Beijing, at the age of 94.^[4][6][7]

Awards

• 2008 Petra Kelly Prize by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung for his outstanding contributions to the protection of human rights and the construction of a legal state and lawyer system in China.^[6][9]

See also

• Weiquan movement

References

1. "我院兼职教授张思之先生八十华诞暨律师执业五十周年庆祝酒会在京隆重举行". Central University of Finance and Economics (in Chinese). 29 November 2006. from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
2. "Zhang Sizhi – Outstanding Commitment to Human Rights and the Rule of Law in China". The Green Political Foundation. 5 December 2008. from the original on 9 April 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012. Sizhi is known among Chinese lawyers as "the conscience of lawyers"
3. "唐璜:谁弄丢了中国律师的"良心"？----感悟张思之". Central University of Finance and Economics (in Chinese). 1 December 2006. from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2012. ……从第一场辩护算起，经过五十年风雨历程，他被尊为中国律师界的荣耀和良心.
4. Buckley, Chris; Dong, Joy (4 July 2022). "Zhang Sizhi, Lawyer Who Defended Chinese Dissidents, Dies at 94". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
5. Zhang Fan (张帆) (1 July 2012). "律师何为？——专访张思之". Cejing (in Chinese). from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
6. 中国“律师界良心”张思之去世. dw.com (in Chinese). 24 June 2022. from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
7. Chen Meihua (陈美华) (24 June 2022). 中国律师界的泰斗级人物 张思之逝世. rfa.org (in Chinese). from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
8. 中国律师界的泰斗和良心张思之先生逝世. rfi.fr (in Chinese). 24 June 2022. from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
9. Zhang Ping (张平) (21 March 2013). 张思之：要有免于被愚的自由. dw.com (in Chinese). from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.