Man admits to spreading rumors
Print Edition
A MAN who spread online rumors about Chinese celebrities and the erstwhile Ministry of Railways pleaded guilty during his trial at Chaoyang District People’s Court in Beijing yesterday.
Qin Zhihui, known as “Qinhuohuo” in cyberspace, admitted he had deliberately cooked up stories, especially on hot topics, to gain public attention.
Prosecutors said Qin’s actions impacted society and seriously harmed social order. He violated criminal law and should be punished for defamation and disturbing the peace, they said.
“I have no one but myself to blame,” Qin told the court.
“I have nothing to say in my defence. I just hope my case serves as a warning to others,” he said. “I have paid a great price. I lost my freedom. I lost my job.”
Prosecutors said Qin used four alibi on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter-like service, from December 2012 to August 2013 to target popular television hostess Yang Lan, China’s Helen Keller Zhang Haidi, Major General Luo Yuan, and Lei Feng, who enjoys a hero-like status in China for helping others in the 1960s.
Qin lied that Yang cheated on the stock market, Zhang had changed her nationality to Japanese, Luo’s family had settled overseas and Lei, a model solider known for his modest lifestyle, actually lived a luxurious life.
Qin, a 30-year-old Hunan Province native, also falsely claimed that the Chinese government had paid 200 million yuan (US$32.5 million) as compensation to a foreign passenger who died in the bullet train accident in Wenzhou in 2011. The post was reposted 12,000 times.
“I just wanted others to see what I had posted and discuss them,” Qin said. “I only wanted to be popular. As for the ministry, I just thought it would find itself in a tight corner.”
He apologized to his victims.
“Zhang is a disabled person but I am a healthy man. What I did to her is hardly justifiable. I made groundless accusation to Luo, saying he was a deserter. Yang earned her reputation after years of efforts but I destroyed it with my stories. It was a huge blow to her,” he said.
But Qin also “thanked” the era, which, he said, helped him to fulfill his ability, and Sina Weibo, for giving him a platform to talk about celebrities.
Prosecutors called for a lighter sentence because of his confession. The court has yet to give its verdict.
False and deliberate slandering can incur up to three years in jail and 10 years for whipping up trouble.
Qin was detained along with his boss Yang Xiuyu, founder of the Beijing-based Erma Company, last year. The fate of Yang is unknown.
Qin is the first person to appear in court since the Ministry of Public Security vowed to clamp down on internet rumors. The Supreme Court and procuratorate issued a judicial interpretation on Internet defamation in September, providing a legal basis for cracking down on such crimes.
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