Ann Heywood, the mother of 41-year-old Neil Heywood, said she was cynical about the forthcoming trial.
The mother of the British businessman found dead in China last year has criticised Chinese authorities on the eve of the trial of her son's alleged murderers.
Ann Heywood, the mother of 41-year-old Neil Heywood, said she was cynical about the forthcoming trial.
"There are no human rights in China, of which I'm totally aware," she told a US newspaper.
Two defendants — Gu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun — face trial in the city of Hefei on Thursday for the "intentional homicide" of Heywood. The Old Harrovian's body was found in a hotel room in the city of Chongqing last November.
Gu, 53, is the wife of disgraced politician Bo Xilai, who was removed as Chongqing's powerful party secretary earlier this year after revelations about Heywood's suspicious death.
Zhang, 33, has been described as a household aide or butler working for Gu and her husband in Chongqing.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Monday, Zhang's family lawyer denied the butler had instigated the poisoning of the British businessman.
"Zhang didn't know Heywood. He held no personal grudge or hatred against Heywood. Zhang couldn't possibly [have] initiated it," said Li Xiaolin, a criminal lawyer from Beijing.
Li was hired by Zhang's family earlier this year after he and Gu were arrested, but will not be allowed to defend Zhang at this week's trial. Both defendants are to be represented by court-appointed lawyers.
Li denied that Zhang, who he said was a former bodyguard of Gu's father, had plotted Heywood's murder but stopped short of declaring his total innocence.
Referring to a government announcement that the evidence against Zhang and Gu was "irrefutable and substantial", Li added: "You can't say he is innocent - look at the official statement."
Legal experts have questioned whether the pair can receive a fair trial without choosing their own legal teams and many see the verdict as a foregone conclusion.
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