Chinese waitress walks free after killing official

Source: Google

A Chinese waitress convicted of killing an official who demanded sex walked free from court Tuesday, after a nationwide Internet campaign hailed her as a heroine for standing up to government sleaze.

In a case that sparked widespread outrage, Deng Yujiao, 21, was put on trial for stabbing to death a local official in central China in May, in what she said was self-defence after he tried to force himself on her sexually.

Deng, a waitress at a hotel in the city of Badong, was initially detained on suspicion of murder after the incident, in which she said the man hit her repeatedly after she refused his advances.

She also stood accused of injuring a second official who had made unwanted sexual advances.

Deng was eventually charged with the lesser offence of intentional assault -- still punishable by death, according to the China Daily -- as officials caved in to the massive public pressure generated on the Internet.

Internet users fed up with government corruption, abuse of power and official impunity quickly rallied to Deng's cause, and her case became a symbol of injustice in a society tightly controlled by the ruling Communist Party.

On Tuesday, after a brief trial in Badong in Hubei province, Deng walked free despite being found guilty as charged, on the grounds of diminished responsibility, a judge at the court, who asked not to be named, told AFP.

The judge said the court had decided not to punish her as she had used excessive force in an act of self-defence, she had surrendered to the police, and the officials involved in the incident had made a "major mistake."

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Woohoo. A victory for the commoner! Funny how she's guilty but won't get any jail time. So what's she guilty of? The Chinese are so afraid to be embarassed that they will appeased anyone in fear of a revolt.

I wonder how she'll be be treated from now on. Will she go back to waitressing?

Related: Chinese public outraged over case of Deng Yujiao

Husband murders wife's cousin at divorce hearing

Source: Danwei

A divorce trial spiraled into a grisly murder yesterday at a court in Songming, a county on the outskirts of Kunming, Yunnan Province.

According to today's Life News, at about 12:40 pm yesterday, roughly 10 minutes before the trial was to begin, a verbal argument developed among the more than ten family members from both sides who had arrived at court.

Then the estranged husband, Deng Jiaxi, hacked at his wife Yang Changmei, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, using a sickle. Deng then turned his rage upon Yang's cousin Zhang Liping when she tried to stop him. When Yang fought back at Deng and attempted to wrest the sickle from his grasp, she lost two fingers.

All court personnel hid themselves during the violence, and no bailiff or judge interfered to stop Deng from leaving, or attempted to rescue the wounded － they were eventually sent to the hospital by police, who arrived later.

Yang was in critical condition, while her cousin Zhang died from wounds received to her back. Deng was still at large by the time the paper went to print.

Yang's relatives told the newspaper that they are going to sue the court for nonfeasance and will demand three million yuan in damages.

Hahahaha nice one China. Why does China even have police? They don't arrest anyone, they don't get suicide jumped off bridges and they don't break up fights and stabbing in a court room? I want to be a Chinese police officer!

Chinese public outraged over case of Deng Yujiao

Who is Deng Yujiao you ask?

Source: Times Online

The case of the pedicurist and the lecherous official has galvanised public opinion in China.

Women’s groups, and even the conservative state Women’s Federation, have demanded fair treatment for 21-year-old Deng Yujiao who stabbed a low-ranking government official who demanded she provide him with“special services”.

Civil rights organisations and untold numbers of ordinary Chinese want an explanation for the arrest of a young woman who said she was defending herself against the unwanted advances of the 44-year-old director of the local business promotion office. And they want to know why a Communist Party official was frequenting a hotel that offered massages with “special services” – a euphemism for sex.

Such is the public indignation over Ms Deng’s fate that usually docile newspapers and websites have ignored a government directive issued last week ordering all reports to toe the official line.

The case is particularly emotive since it cuts to the heart of many of the most sensitive issues in Chinese society. These include abuse of the law in favour of vested interests at the expense of the weak, the rapid spread of the sex trade in a country whose Communist leadership prides itself on puritan values not to mention abuse of power. It is being seen as pitting the vulnerable, particularly women struggling to make a living, against the might of the state.

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It could be a landmark case. Usually it doesn't matter if it's self-defense or not. If an offical wants sex he should get it. If she refuses, she's in big trouble. If she stabs the guy, she's in deep shit. That's how China works. Rich and powerful get everything. So will public support pressure the courts into ruling fairly. We'll see.

Court Clears Woman Who Chased Robber to Death

Source: Crienglish

A Chinese court has ruled that a woman acted in self-defense when she drove her car in chasing three robbers, knocking them off their motorcycle causing the death of one of the robbers, the Guangzhou Daily reported Thursday.

The report said the robbers had followed Miss Long to her garage one early morning last July in Shunde district of Foshan city in southern Guangdong province. As she was out on the road and waited for a traffic light, two men smashed Miss Long's car window and snatched a handbag from the passenger's seat that contained over 80,000 yuan in cash and other documents.

The robbers then attempted to escape by jumping on a motorbike driven by a third accomplice who was waiting nearby. Miss Long sped after the robbers before knocking over the motorcycle with her car, according to eye-witnesses.

One robber died on the spot from the fall and two others were later arrested by police, who also found the stolen items and some iron drills that were used in the robbery.

The Foshan Intermediate Court ruled on Wednesday that although the robbers had started to escape after their criminal act, they were still within sight of the victim. Thus the court considered the robbery to be still in progress and ruled that Miss Long's chase and subsequent charging of the motorcycle was a case of justifiable defense.

The court also sentenced the two surviving robbers to 11 to 12 years in prison plus fines.

Seems like a strange decision to me. How can you chase someone down with your car and have it be self-defense? If you are being robbed and you hit the robber in the head and kill him, then you're defending yourself. But if the robbery has already happened and you've made a conscious decision to chase the robber while he's fleeing, then you're attacking. What if the woman had hit another car or an innocent bystander. That's not self-defense!