2015-05-18
Three police officers in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi went on trial on Monday for the killing of a woman during a dispute over unpaid wages, although at least one has denied any responsibility for her death, lawyers and family members said.
Wang Wenjun, Guo Tiewei and Ren Haibo stood trial for “intentional injury” and “abuse of power” in connection with the death of Zhou Xiuyun at the Intermediate People’s Court in the provincial capital Taiyuan at 9 a.m. local time.
Zhou, 47, was found unconscious after being thrown to the ground at a construction site in Zhoukou city in the central province of Henan on Dec. 13, 2014, after clashes between police and her family.
She died the next day in hospital. The policemen also stand accused of breaking the ribs of her husband Wang Youzhi.
Wang Wenjun faces both charges, while Guo is charged with “abuse of power” and Ren with “intentional injury.”
However, Wang Daogang, legal representative for Zhou’s son Wang Kuilin, said the family’s lawyers had been denied entry to the courtroom.
“I and attorney Cheng Hai were instructed on Dec. 30 to render legal assistance, and this has been going on for five months,” Wang Daogang told RFA on Monday.
“After negotiations, we asked a different lawyer to act as representative, and we continued to act as legal advisers, and there should be no problem under the law with us being allowed to attend the trial,” Wang Daogang said.
But he said neither he nor Cheng had been allowed inside the courtroom, adding that the family was unlikely to get justice under such circumstances.
“There are clearly some problems here,” Wang Daogang said. “The only way there would be a just outcome would be if this trial was held in open court.”
He said invisible “influences” are clearly at work behind the scenes in such a politically sensitive case, which comes amid growing public anger over widespread abuses of power by China’s law enforcement agencies.
Denial of charges
During the first day of the trial, Wang Wenjun strenuously and repeatedly denied both charges against him, Cheng Hai told RFA after the first day of the trial, which is set to last for six days.
“Wang Wenjun is pleading not guilty, and says the death by beating had nothing to do with him,” Cheng said.
“On the matter of Zhou Xiuyun’s broken neck from strangling, he said he had only used minimal force; that’s how he denied it,” he said.
