The time for defenders to participate in criminal proceedings shall be counted from the day when the criminal suspect is interrogated for the first time by the investigation organ or compulsory measures are taken. Prior to this, the suspect was in detention or under residential surveillance, and lawyers could not directly intervene in the proceedings at this time.
To sum up:
The time for defenders to participate in criminal proceedings is usually from the day when the criminal suspect is interrogated for the first time by the investigation organ or compulsory measures are taken. At this point, lawyers can begin to provide legal help and defense for criminal suspects.
Legal basis:
The first paragraph of Article 33 of the Criminal Procedure Law of People's Republic of China (PRC) stipulates: "A criminal suspect has the right to entrust a defender from the day when he is interrogated for the first time by the investigation organ or takes compulsory measures; Only lawyers can be entrusted as defenders during the investigation. "