Lawyers defend fake-picture farmer in Shaanxi

A GROUP of Shenzhen lawyers has come out in defense of Zhou Zhenglong, the farmer accused of providing the fabricated South China tiger photo, the Daily Sunshine reported yesterday.

In October 2007, forestry officials in Zhenping County in northern Shaanxi Province published photos of a tiger in a forest setting, saying they were proof of the existence of the South China tiger. Zhou, a local farmer who claimed to have taken the photos, was paid a 20,000-yuan (US$2,900) reward.

Nine months later, Shaanxi Provincial Government officials admitted the photos were fabricated and Zhou was arrested on suspicion of fraud.

However, in an Internet forum, the Shenzhen lawyers said Zhou could not be charged with fraud, as he could not have been aware of the bonus when taking the pictures. He was given the money by government officials as a reward for his “brave action” in taking the pictures.

“On the other hand, if Zhou knew about the reward beforehand, he couldn’t have fabricated the photos alone and must have had a partner in committing the fraud,” said Lai Ruilei, a lawyer with Shenmingde Law Firm.

The Shaanxi Provincial Government told a recent press conference that no official had been involved and Zhou had acted on his own.

Netizens also agreed a farmer was far from capable of causing such a great nationwide stir without the support of the officials who were given administrative punishment.

“Abuse by government officials is obviously involved in this, but they received only administrative punishment leaving Zhou alone with all the responsibility,” said a lawyer named Hao Jingsong.

Other officials in Zhenping have refused to comment on the matter.