With a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation driven by internet technology, legal issues related to technology are booming. Because of the particularity of the media, means and forms, cyber crime has become a difficulty of criminal defense in recent years. In order to improve the professional level and anti-risk ability of criminal defense lawyers in network crime defense, and to create a high-level learning and exchange platform, Peking University Law School(PKULS) held a grand seminar on criminal defense of cyber crime cases from November 14 to 18, 2020. At 8:00 am on the 14^th November, the opening ceremony of the advanced seminar on criminal defense of cyber crime cases was held in Liaoning Hall of Liaoning building. Guo Li, Vice Party Secretary and Deputy Dean of PKULS, Yang Xiaolei, Deputy Dean of Peking University Law School, and Chen Ruihua, chairman of the academic committee, attended the event. The opening ceremony was presided over by Yang Xiaolei. Nearly 200 criminal defense lawyers from all over the country attended the seminar.

On behalf of PKULS, Guo Li first welcomed all the students. He delivered the opening speech from three dimensions including country, family and people. He mentioned that in the face of the epidemic sweeping the world in 2020, our country has submitted a good result. With the epidemic under control, we can hold offline training and invite students back to the big family of PKULS. At the same time, the epidemic has changed our way of life and work to a certain extent. The internet has become an important link between people and the outside world during the epidemic, and it also makes cyber crime more visible to people. He said that the lawyer industry has a strong professional community identity, and the criminal defense lawyer was the “pearl on the crown” of the industry. This seminar follows the pace of the times, and invited top criminal law scholars, senior practical experts and representatives of outstanding criminal defense lawyers to discuss the basic theory and practical operation points of cyber crime defenses. He hoped that everyone could have some harvest and enjoy the learning time with the sharing of teachers and students.

 

  

 

Mao Qiaoyun, Deputy Director of Jiangxi Sheng Yi law firm, and Ren Zhongsun, senior partner of Guangdong Zhuo Jian law firm, spoke on behalf of old students and new students respectively. Mao Qiaoyun, who has just finished aiding Tibet, said that as an former student who has participated in the four sessions of criminal defense class, the biggest feeling of Peking University criminal defense class is that Peking University criminal defense class has expanded the vision of criminal defense lawyers and let her see the brilliant future of criminal defense industry. Ren Zhongsun said that he had long admired the criminal defense class of Peking University and finally had the opportunity to participate in this grand gathering of criminal lawyers. He cherished the learning opportunity and would study modestly with the determination to break him boundary, hoping to get a huge harvest. Ren Zhongsun thanked PKULS for letting him know so many excellent colleagues and they would be classmates and comrades as well as family members whom everyone of them could turn to for help and warmth.

 

 

 

 

Prof. Chen Ruihua, the designer of the criminal defense class of Peking University and chairman of the academic committee of the law school, introduced the original intention of the course, the teachers and the curriculum system in detail. He also mentioned that China’s lawyer business was developing rapidly. Cyber crime is one of the most cutting-edge legal fields at present, which involves cross-field and cross-industry professional knowledge. There are more than 40 kinds of conventional and new charges. However, criminal defense lawyers lack of theoretical reserves, case experience, defense skills and face-to-face practical exchanges between peers for this kind of new crime. PKULS has always been at the forefront of legal theory and judicial practice. It provides the most practical courses for the students and is the closest to the actual practical process. He hoped that the students could put their knowledge into legal practice.

 

 

 

Finally, Yang Xiaolei made a concluding speech. He expressed his gratitude to all the leaders and professors who attended the class opening ceremony and colleagues of PKULS who have been supporting behind the scenes. He expressed his gratitude to the new students who came here to inject fresh air into the criminal defense class. Teachers of PKULS would join hands with the growing criminal defense class students to continuously improve the level of criminal defense in China, promoting the progress of China’s criminal justice, and create a broader future of China’s legal society.

 

 

 

In the internet age, people’s behavior and communication mode have changed. At the same time, the behavior and organization mode of crime are also changing. The number and complexity of cyber crime cases shows an obvious upward trend. Traditional types of economic crimes rely on the network as the media and rapidly spread to the online variation. Taking internet technology as a means of intrusion into other people’s computer systems, stealing data and personal information and other acts have become a common form of crime. Crime and non crime, this crime and that crime, crime and light crime become the focus and difficulty of defense of such cases, and the trial ideas and key points in judicial practice are particularly important.

This seminar focuses on the basic principles of criminal responsibility of cyber crime cases and the exploration of lawyers’ compliance business, exploring the legal issues of network big data, effective defense of electronic evidence, the identification ideas of legality of new e-commerce model, and the identification and defense of traditional crime in the internet age. This class invites many well-known jurists and senior practical experts, such as Chen Xingliang, Chen Ruihua, Che Hao, Xue Jun, Wang Xin, Liu Pinxin, Wang Huawei to introduce basic theoretical explanation and trial practice interpretation for the students. At the same time, some outstanding criminal defense lawyers, such as Xu Zongxin and Wang Yalin, are invited to teach the defense experience, business points and defense skills on site to improve the defense ability of the students. Besides, the seminar also arranged distinctive “Jinglin night of criminal debate”, “Night of criminal debate of Peking University”. The theme Salon of “words” provides a platform for all students to share experiences and interaction with each other.

On the evening of the class, PKULS held a grand welcome dinner for the advanced seminar on criminal defense of cyber crime cases. Yang Xiaolei, Deputy Dean of PKULS, and Zhao Xiaohai, general manager of Peking University Yinghua Technology Co., Ltd., attended and delivered speeches. The teachers warmly welcomed the students and wished them a passionate, fruitful, moving and meaningful five-day study life.

 

 

The seminar was held by PKULS on the basis of the successful experience of past six seminars. According to the needs of the construction of the rule of law and social development, PKULS holds criminal defense seminars with rich themes to promote the specialization and refinement of criminal defense, so as to promote the steady development of judicial reform through academic research, and make lasting contributions to China’s legal construction and talent development strategy.

 

 

Translated by Lin Yufang

Edited by Xu Mengyao