Following riots in Weng’an, Guizhou over an alleged police cover-up of the rape and murder of a teenage girl, authorities have announced that the case will be reopened. From AP:
Police initially determined that the high school student drowned, angering locals who believe she was raped and murdered, perhaps by children of local officials. In response some 30,000 people rampaged through Weng’an on Saturday, torching cars and police headquarters in the town in hilly Guizhou province.
Paramilitary police sent in to quell the violence continued to patrol the streets Tuesday while officials sought to maintain calm by offering to reopen the investigation and threatening severe punishment to those who instigated the rioting.
The official Xinhua News Agency said the provincial government sent 10 criminal investigators and forensic experts to reinvestigate the death of Li Shufen, whose body was pulled from a river on June 22.
Meanwhile, China Daily reports:
Public security officials on Tuesday defended police actions in dealing with violent protests in southwest China at the weekend, saying they showed “great restraint”.
However, more than 150 people, including more than 100 police, were injured in Saturday’s riots in Weng’an county, Guizhou Province, but no deaths were reported, said Wang Xingzheng, provincial public security department spokesman.
Read also a Guardian report on the case. Sina.com has also posted footage of the riots from Guizhou TV.
Read more about the case and watch video footage on this previous CDT post.
Meanwhile, citizen journalist/blogger Zhou Shuguang has gone to Weng’an, Guizhou and reporting from his twitter account.
