China
14:30, 06-Jul-2017
Does Chinese scholar's kidnapping reveal safety issue at US universities?
[]
Share
Copied
By CGTN’s The Point
The kidnapping of a Chinese visiting scholar in the US shows US universities need to do more to protect their students and provide a safe environment, according to a law expert.
“Universities are not absolved from all responsibility here, they do need to have a better structure and policies in terms of safety,” Jason Chan, an attorney from Boston, Massachusetts told CGTN’s The Point.
“Hopefully this case will force a change in terms of how they (universities) will help students on a daily basis in terms of getting housing and with their schedule and knowing where they are going and keeping them in a safe environment.”
Zhang Yingying, 26, went missing from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, on June 9. A 28-year-old man, Brendt Christensen, has been charged with kidnapping her. Authorities believe Zhang is no longer alive but her body has not been found.
The case has attracted widespread attention on Chinese media and made headlines in recent days, with many expressing concern about Chinese students' personal safety in America.
Wang Zhidong, an attorney in contact with Zhang’s family, told CGTN in a separate interview that people were frustrated that the young woman's whereabouts were still unknown, adding he believed that the government had information that could not yet be released.
The Point with Liu Xin is a 30-minute current affairs program on CGTN. It airs weekdays at 9.30 p.m. BJT (1330 GMT), with rebroadcasts at 5.30 a.m. (2130 GMT) and 10.30 a.m (0230 GMT).
Related stories: