Anhui Wuhu lawyer Ge Yunlong faces the possibility of having his practice suspended for challenging the handling agencies and personnel in court, which has sparked a backlash in the legal community.
According to a report from Caixin on May 20, Ge Yunlong was called in for a discussion by staff from the Wuhu Judicial Bureau on the afternoon of May 14.
The bureau claimed that in 2024, when Ge Yunlong defended Feng Haifei, the former deputy director of the Wuhu Development and Reform Commission, he openly questioned the improper detention and forced confessions by the handling agencies, deemed as “defamation” against the agencies and personnel, leading to a proposed penalty of suspending his practice for six months to one year and requiring him to withdraw from the case representation.
According to a notice from the Wuhu City Lawyers Association in 2025, the lawyer practice assessment work was conducted from March to May, with Ge Yunlong in a deferred assessment status.
Ge Yunlong said that the Judicial Bureau only showed him a letter issued by the municipal Discipline Inspection Commission, but did not provide physical materials and refused his request to take photos for record-keeping, thus preventing him from preserving evidence.
Ge Yunlong explained that the bribery and money laundering case he represented for Feng Haifei was publicly heard in November and December 2024.
The Nanling County Procuratorate in Wuhu alleged that from 2018 to 2023, Feng Haifei received bribes totaling 11.5 million yuan, with 5 million yuan being unsuccessful attempts and an additional interest of 181,800 yuan. During the trial, Feng Haifei admitted to receiving 430,000 in bribery as charged but denied the remaining 11.07 million.
Observers in the courtroom told Caixin that Feng Haifei recanted his statement in court and provided detailed explanations to the court on how he was coerced, induced, tempted, and deceived during his testimony. Throughout the trial, the judge did not point out any improprieties in Ge Yunlong’s statements.
Ge Yunlong’s written defense statement indicated criticisms towards the handling agencies and personnel, such as “not admitting mistakes, seeking personal glory, blowing a small case out of proportion, and turning what could have been a case for disciplinary action into a case involving over 11 million yuan,” and “the detention of Feng Haifei was improper,” “the accusation lacks basic evidence, and the evidence in the case is contradictory, illogical, illegal, and violates common sense, hence legally untenable.”
Ge Yunlong stated that after a thorough examination of the evidence, it is difficult to establish the charges of Feng Haifei receiving 11.07 million yuan, pointing out significant procedural and substantive flaws in the case. Feng Haifei reflected that he was coerced into making false confessions during his detention, and the incriminating record was fabricated after his detention. While detained, Feng Haifei continuously wrote complaints, stating that he did not receive the alleged 11.07 million yuan bribery from the public prosecution agency.
Following the first-instance verdict, Feng Haifei filed an appeal. Ge Yunlong is still the defense lawyer for the second trial, which has not yet been scheduled.
The exposure of this incident has sparked a backlash in the legal community. Scholars and lawyers not involved in the case have emphasized that lawyers have the right to speak freely in court. Mishandling this matter could potentially trigger a “chilling effect.”
Han Xu, a professor at Sichuan University Law School, pointed out that countries worldwide have generally established the right of lawyers to speak freely in court to safeguard the independent exercise of defense rights, uphold judicial fairness and adversarial litigation needs, protect the legitimate rights of parties, and prevent abuse of power.
Shanghai lawyer Si Weijiang believes that lawyers are legally protected when exercising their defense rights in court and should not be held accountable unless they engage in behavior that violates court order and is immediately stopped by the court.
He Bing, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law, stated, “Criticism of state agencies does not equate to defamation, and criticism of specific handling agencies and personnel does not constitute defamation. Lawyers have the right to speak freely in court and should not be penalized.”
Ge Yunlong, 59 years old, is a local lawyer in Wuhu with 22 years of experience. In September 2022, he was granted the title of the first Anhui Outstanding Public Interest Lawyer by the Wuhu Lawyers Association, and in August 2024, he was named the third expert for case reviews by the Wuhu Municipal Committee for Political and Legal Affairs.