Zhang was born as the eldest of 10 children to Zhang Jingtang and Meng Yanrong on 12 November 1927 in Zhengzhou.[4] His father was a doctor who practiced Chinese traditional medicine.[5][4] In 1944, at the age of 16, he joined the Chinese Expeditionary Force.[5][6] Three years later, he was admitted to Chaoyang university. After graduating from university, he became a judge. In 1950, he graduated from the People's University of China. During the Anti-Rightist Movement, he was divided into right, was sentenced to 15 years in a village. In 1972, he was free to act as a teacher. In July 1979, Zhang returned as a lawyer and participated in the trials of "Lin Biao Anti-Revolutionary Group Case" and "Jiang Qing Anti-Revolutionary Group Case", commonly known as the "Two Cases", serving as defense lawyers for Jiang Qing and others.[6][7] After the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, he defended liberals such as Bao Tong, Wang Juntao, Gao Yu and Pu Zhiqiang, as well as rights lawyers.[8][7]
On 24 June 2022, he died from cancer in Beijing, at the age of 94.[4][6][7]
Awards
2008 Petra Kelly Prize by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung for his outstanding contributions to the protection of human rights and the construction of a legal state and lawyer system in China.[6][9]
^"我院兼职教授张思之先生八十华诞暨律师执业五十周年庆祝酒会在京隆重举行". Central University of Finance and Economics (in Chinese). 29 November 2006. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
^"唐璜:谁弄丢了中国律师的"良心"?----感悟张思之". Central University of Finance and Economics (in Chinese). 1 December 2006. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2012. ……从第一场辩护算起,经过五十年风雨历程,他被尊为中国律师界的荣耀和良心.