Open court rape trial rejected
Print Edition
A BEIJING court yesterday rejected a request from the mother of a young suspect in a high-profile rape case for a public hearing for her son.
The court said an open trial would contravene the rights and privacy of the 17-year-old suspect, surnamed Li.
Li is one of five suspects charged with the gang rape of a woman in February.
The case received further attention when it emerged that Li is the son of Li Shuangjiang, 72, a popular military singer.
As four of the suspects are juveniles, their trials should under Chinese law take place in a closed court, without press.
But Meng Ge, mother of Li, last Sunday petitioned for a public hearing at the Haidian District People’s Court.
She sought this to answer rumors that the family may try to manipulate legal procedures, said Meng’s lawyer Lan He.
“For the sake of justice, I hope the hearing procedure and evidence displayed are open and transparent to the public,” Meng’s statement said.
Yesterday, Lan said that Meng respected the court’s decision not to grant her request.
The five were charged after the alleged victim told police that men she was drinking with at a Beijing bar took her to a hotel and took turns raping her.
The case triggered heated debate when Li’s family said they suspected the woman was a “bar girl” who agreed to have sex.
Later, Li Zaike, lawyer for another of the accused, said the suspects “went whoring not engaging in gang rape.”
Tian Canjun, lawyer for the alleged victim, said her client didn’t understand Li’s definition of “bar girls.”
The trial date hasn’t been publicized yet.
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