Deng Yujiao leaves court a free woman

Beijing Times
June 17, 2009

Deng Yujiao, the leisure center waitress who killed a government official while he tried to force himself on her, was set free yesterday after a short trial in Badong County, Hubei Province.

The court found that Deng had acted in self-defense but had used excessive force, and therefore was guilty of intent to harm. However, because a prior psychological evaluation had found that she was mentally imbalanced and therefore assumed a "diminished responsibility" for the crime, the court did not sentence her to prison.

Police had originally wanted to charge Deng with murder but backed down in the face of criticism from netizens and the mainstream media. By finding Deng guilty but not punishing her, the judiciary managed to satisfy both the public and the law enforcement authorities (but perhaps not the rule of law; see Stan Abram's analysis at China Hearsay).

Many newspapers across the country, including the Beijing Times ran a photo of Deng and her mother on the front page. Other Beijing newspapers, like The Beijing News, featured photos of yesterday's freaky weather that brought darkness to the city at 11:20 in the morning.

Another major news item today was the release of draft regulations concerning sex-change operations. Applicants must be at least twenty years old, have a clean criminal record, and have lived as a member of the opposite sex for two years.

And in a follow-up to the May 19 arrest of pop singer Man Wenjun on drug charges, the Beijing Times reports that Man's wife Li Li has been arrested for allowing others to use drugs. Man was released after two weeks; Li faces up to three years in prison.