Mark Ralston AFP/Getty Images
Police stand guard outside the Intermediate People’s Court after disgraced politician Bo Xilai arrived for his sentencing in Jinan, Shandong province on September 22, 2013.
Does the Punishment Fit the Corruption?
Revised Criminal Law Could Lead to More Consistent Sentencing
October 27, 2015
By Li Zizhen, a Caixin staff reporter. This article was first published by Caixin.
After Chen Bokui, the deputy head of a government advisory body in the central province of Hubei, was convicted of taking 2.8 million yuan in bribes by a court in the eastern province of Fujian in April, he received a somewhat stiff sentence 17 years in prison considering the amount involved and the punishments other officials who have taken less money have received.
Forced Demolition of Housing Community in Beijing Sparks Protests Among Residents
The forced demolition of a housing community in Beijing has led thousands of homeowners to protest in the past few days, as authorities have threatened them to vacate the premises immediately. One resident was detained for her alleged role in instigating the protests. Some locals told The Epoch Times that the demolition was ordered by the central government.
The forced demolition of homes in Xiangtang New Village, in Changping district of Beijing, began on Dec. 10, residents told the publication. The community has 3,800 households and 500 households have already been notified by the local government that their homes will be demolished. Most of the homeowners in Xiangtang are elderly people.
English By Yibing Feng Share on Facebook Print this page BEIJING - Last week in Xiangtang Village, a suburb of Beijing, hundreds of men dressed in black arrived, accompanied by a fleet of excavators. They handed residents notices, informing them the government concluded that their properties were illegally built, and that they had seven days to pack their belongings and move out as their homes would be demolished.
Eyewitnesses said many tried to protest but were subdued by the guards. Yang Yusheng, a law professor at China University of Political Science and a resident at the village, started a hunger strike and wrote online about his anger and frustration with the government’s decision. Soon, his electricity and water were cut off, apparently in retaliation, as temperatures outside dipped below freezing.