According to a statement issued by Zhang’s family, the decision to dismiss the lawyers was taken following concerns that they were at risk of losing their licences. Nanle County was subject to a heavy police presence on the day of the trial; only two members of Zhang’s family were permitted to attend, and a US Embassy official was reportedly barred from the court room. China Aid also reports that Zhang’s daughter Zhang Huixin was taken to Nanle County Public Security Bureau for ‘interrogation’ along with her one-year-old daughter and mother, Zhang’s wife.