We recently conducted an interview with a Chinese lawyer who has represented many Christians over the years who have been arrested for their faithful witness. Below we’ve shared some notes from our interview. Please pray for this lawyer, and other lawyers in China who are representing Christians who are imprisoned.

VOM: What motivates you to continue this work, even with the risks?

Lawyer: I’m a Christian and I’m a lawyer. It’s my duty to help Christians who lost their freedom due to their gospel activities. I will continue doing this work until the day I am disbarred. I feel like Queen Esther, in that God put me in this position, just like he put her in the position of Queen. I will do what God called me to do.

VOM: Since you take many sensitive cases, why hasn’t the government taken away your lawyer license?

Lawyer: It is a possibility that the government will do that in the future. Sooner or later, it is likely they will. For now, the government monitors me very closely, especially as it relates to high-profile cases. In those high-profile cases, I will always get a visit from the National Security Police, and they warn me not to share anything about the case publicly. They tell me to only do my work quietly. In some provinces, I’ve received visits at midnight from the authorities at my hotel. They will come in and lock the door and say something like we are doing a routine check to see if you are doing anything illegal in your room. They try to intimidate me. I’ve also experienced local thugs trying to block the road, or prevent me from going to where I need to go. In these cases, the police won’t help.

VOM: Do you travel a lot for your work?

Lawyer: Yes, because my clients live all over China. In fact, I tend to take cases outside of my hometown, because if I took too many cases in my hometown the local police would get very angry with me. It’s easier for me to take cases outside of my hometown.

VOM: What is it like when you represent someone outside of your home area?

Lawyer: I will simply buy a ticket to wherever my client is. Speed is normally the best course of action, because if I do it quickly, the authorities may not be organized enough to try to stop me. Sometimes though, when I visit, I am not able to visit my client, but only the client’s family.

VOM: Can you be present with your client during their interrogation?

Lawyer: The Chinese police say that the law gives them the right to interrogate someone without a lawyer being present. Since I am not able to visit my client before their first interrogation, I can’t prepare them for the various traps that the police will set for my client. My first visit with my client can only happen after the first interrogation. The unfortunate truth is that if the police don’t get the information they want after the first interrogation, they will continue to delay my meeting with the clients so that they can continue to interrogate them.

VOM: Even though WeChat is not secure, do you find that most pastors (and Christians) are still using it?

Lawyer: If you don’t use it, the government will get suspicious of you. On WeChat, we can talk about the gospel with no problems. But it’s important not to talk about secure things, such as the details of a particular meeting. The government has the ability to collect all the WeChat records and build a case against you, so it’s important not to talk about anything sensitive.

VOM: Can you send or receive money from overseas?

Lawyer: It is very dangerous. The police will come and ask you, “why did you send so much money to those people?” The police can also watch your bank account. It is also dangerous to receive money through something like Western Union.  The best way to bring money (and even messages) is by person.

VOM: Can (or should) Christians from other countries travel to China? Is it dangerous for the local Christians we are meeting?

Lawyer: Generally speaking, if you are traveling to big cities, it is not too dangerous. But if you try to meet sensitive groups of people in China then it is likely dangerous. It really depends on where you are going and who you are going to meet. There are certain Christians (those on the government’s watch list) that would be dangerous to meet.