Consistent responsibilities and obligations
Based on:
Article 35 of the Criminal Procedure Law stipulates that the responsibility of a defender is to provide materials and opinions to prove that a criminal suspect or defendant is innocent or guilty, or to reduce or exempt his criminal responsibility according to facts and laws, and to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the criminal suspect or defendant. Article 28 of the Lawyers Law also stipulates that when a lawyer acts as a criminal defender, he shall provide materials and opinions to prove that the criminal suspect or defendant is innocent, the crime is light or his criminal responsibility is reduced or exempted according to facts and laws, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the criminal suspect or defendant.
Different rights
According to relevant laws and regulations, all defenders, whether close relatives or lawyers, have the right to job security, the right to meet and correspond, and the right to provide defense according to law. However, non-lawyer defenders must be approved to exercise the right to read papers, and non-lawyer defenders have no right to investigate and collect evidence.