Deng Yujiao supporters assaulted
Posted by Daniel Teng on Thursday, June 4th, 2009
A group consisting of human rights activist Zhou Li and three volunteers went to Badong County, Hubei Province to file a complaint against the investigating officers in the Deng Yujiao case for dereliction of duty. The group was questioned by police and assaulted by unidentified men on their way to Badong County.
One member of the group, Luo Jiajiu said the officers thought he was a reporter when he took pictures of them. An officer rushed over demanding press ID and his camera, after refusing the officer struck him. Luo says he was left with scratch marks on his neck and arms. He is also bleeding from his lips and several other places. He was also kicked in the knees. Luo says his camera is now damaged, the batteries have been thrown away, his clothing has been torn and his glasses dropped on the ground.
The human rights activist Zhou Li says there has been obvious criminal activity over material evidence in the Deng Yujiao case. Zhou says they are filing complaints over how the evidence has been obtained and destroyed, the official’s dereliction of duty, and how Deng Yujiao’s assailant, Deng Guida has been cremated.
On May 10th, Deng Yujiao, a hostess at the Xiongfeng Hotel of Badong County, stabbed Deng Guida to death after he requested ‘special services’, a euphemism for sex. Local authorities have accused Deng Yujiao of excessive self defence after killing Deng Guida when he attempted to force her into sex. The two persons involved are from vastly different social strata, Deng Yujiao was a blue-collar worker, whereas Deng Guida was a government official. This in turn has transformed this case into a major political and social issue. This follows a developing trend of the common person fighting against the state apparatus, in line with the case of Yang Jia, who stabbed six officers to death after serious mistreatment by the police department.
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