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A lawyer who met with Pu Zhiqiang, a crusading human rights lawyer who was detained after a meeting in Beijing to mark the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, has expressed pessimism about the prospect of his speedy release.

In an account of a meeting Monday that was posted online Wednesday, the lawyer, Zhang Sizhi, wrote that Mr. Pu said he was being interrogated up to 10 hours a day. Mr. Zhang, 86, a veteran defense lawyer, said that Mr. Pu asked him not to disclose details of the subjects he was questioned about, except to say that they were wide-ranging. Although Mr. Zhang’s discussion of the case was reserved, he hinted at his concern that Mr. Pu could face a prison sentence.

“As far as the details of the case go, present developments are extremely unfavorable,” Mr. Zhang wrote.

Reached by telephone on Thursday, Mr. Zhang confirmed the contents of the online account and said he had nothing further to add.

Mr. Pu was detained by the Beijing authorities on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” after a May 3 meeting to commemorate those killed when the government crushed protests in Beijing 25 years ago. Mr. Pu, 49, who had participated in the Tiananmen protests while a student at China University of Political Science and Law, wrote in 2006 that he had vowed to return to the square in central Beijing each year to remember the victims.

His detention this year was part of a broad effort to deter any effort to commemorate the June 3-4, 1989, crackdown. The advocacy group Human Rights in China documented the detention, house arrest or interrogation of more than 120 people in connection with the 25th anniversary. Four other people who attended the May 3 meeting and were detained were released last week. But Mr. Pu’s release seems less likely. His detention has continued beyond 30 days, an indication that the police are requesting that prosecutors approve his formal arrest.

While the charge he was detained under generally applies to physical assault, property damage and disturbing order in public places, it has increasingly been applied to political activists. Mr. Pu’s supporters have argued that holding a peaceful meeting in a private home should not violate the statute.

Mr. Zhang said that initially, after Mr. Pu was detained in May, he considered the case to be nothing unusual.

“At that time I thought the problem was wrapped up in ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble,’ because Pu’s behavior on May 3 had nothing to do with ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble,’ ” he wrote. “Now the situation has had a significant development, and Pu’s case is definitely not a normal case, and people shouldn’t face it with a normal heart.”

Mr. Zhang also noted that his client was receiving insulin for his diabetes and remained strong of will, but said he felt that Mr. Pu’s physical condition was declining. Mr. Pu said that he suffered from swelling in his legs, probably due to sitting for extended periods while under questioning.

Mr. Zhang also suggested that Mr. Pu could face multiple charges, a prospect he called “terrible.”