Chinese waitress walks free after killing
official
BEIJING (AFP) - - 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, according to the state Xinhua news
agency.
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."
The case highlights the growing might of the Internet in China,
a nation where traditional media is tightly controlled and the
legal system has little or no independence from the government.
China has the world's largest online population at nearly 300
million web users.
Reflecting the huge public interest in the case, at least 500
supporters of Deng gathered at the courthouse, Luo Jiajiu, one of
the organisers of the rally, told AFP, adding the group had been
banned from attending the trial.
Luo had said Deng's supporters would call for action if the
court announced she was guilty, but AFP was unable to contact him
again after the verdict was announced.
Chinese Internet users were divided in their immediate reaction
to the verdict, with some saying justice had been served and others
complaining that Deng had been convicted of any crime.
"This is a victory for the people, a victory for justice," said
one post on popular web portal sina.com.
Another, written by someone in northern China, said: "What was
the evidence of guilt? She is not guilty, what she did was 100
percent self-defence."
Zhang Tianyong, a Beijing-based human rights lawyer, said the
court would not have freed Deng had the case not attracted so much
attention and generated so much pressure.
"The impact of the strong online public opinion on this case is
obvious and easy to see," Zhang told AFP.
"If she had not had the attention of public opinion, Deng Yujiao
would most probably have been given a heavy penalty."
The China Daily, in a report published Tuesday before the trial
began, had speculated that Deng could get a suspended sentence of
less than 10 years.
--AFP