The murder trial of four policemen who allegedly beat a man to death eight years ago opened on Monday in Heilongjiang province. The case is being heard at the people's court of Qing'an county.
The policemen, attached to the Qing'an police bureau, are accused of beating a murder and robbery suspect, Li Xiangfu to death with wooden poles while he was shackled to a heating radiator in May 2000, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Li's family had over the past eight years frequently called for a fair investigation into his death. The policemen, Zhu Songyan, Zhu Chundong, Cui Hailong and Fan Guozhi were detained in May. A fifth, Lu Hongjun, is still at large, according to the Xinhua report.
Six lawyers are representing the accused, and four are appearing for the prosecution, including a deputy chief procurator. The court hearing has been attended by several county NPC members, county CPPCC National Committee members and family members of the accused. But Li's family has been absent.
According to Xinhua, following the arrest of the accused, inspector-general Zhao Degui, who was in charge of the case, was allegedly attacked by two men hired by Zhang Guangfu, vice-director of the Qing'an police bureau. Zhang has been detained and faces a separate trial.
Xinhua did not say why the case took eight years to come to trial. China Daily tried to seek comments from the Qing'an County People's Court, but calls to the court rang unanswered yesterday.
Questions:
1. In which Chinese province is the trial being held?
2. How many police are wanted in relation to the murder?
3. How many years ago was the murder carried out at the police station?
4. What happened to the inspector-general after the arrest of the accused?
Answers:
1. Heilongjiang.
2. 5 – one is still on the run and not in custody.
3. 8.
4. He was allegedly attacked by two men hired by the vice director of the Qing'an police bureau.
（英语点津 Helen 编辑）
Brendan joined The China Daily in 2007 as a language polisher in the Language Tips Department, where he writes a regular column for Chinese English Language learners, reads audio news for listeners and anchors the weekly video news in addition to assisting with on location stories. Elsewhere he writes Op’Ed pieces with a China focus that feature in the Daily’s Website opinion section.
He received his B.A. and Post Grad Dip from Curtin University in 1997 and his Masters in Community Development and Management from Charles Darwin University in 2003. He has taught in Japan, England, Australia and most recently China. His articles have featured in the Bangkok Post, The Taipei Times, The Asia News Network and in-flight magazines.
Brendan joined The China Daily in 2007 as a language polisher in the Language Tips Department, where he writes a regular column for Chinese English Language learners, reads audio news for listeners and anchors the weekly video news in addition to assisting with on location stories. Elsewhere he writes Op’Ed pieces with a China focus that feature in the Daily’s Website opinion section.
