Police officers involved in a controversial murder case in Liaocheng, in east China’s Shandong Province, have been placed under investigation for misconduct, local media reported on Sunday.
The case has sparked a heated debate in China. It began when 22-year-old Yu Huan was jailed for life by a local court in February for stabbing four debt collectors, leaving one of them dead. Many have said that Yu acted in self-defense, as more than 10 people had come to collect payment for loan sharks and insulted Yu’s mother in front of him.
Picture of Yu Huan. /Hexun.com
Police arrived but then left without resolving the tense situation. A witness told the court that the police had told the collectors that it was okay to ask for their money back, as long as they didn't beat anyone. Shortly after the police had left, Yu grabbed a knife and stabbed four of the men, including Du Zhihao, who died from his injuries.
The controversial sentence has ignited public anger over police officers’ breach of duty in the case. Local authorities said the officers had failed to take necessary measures to protect Yu’s mother when they were called to the scene, after an investigation into the record and files related to the case.
On March 26, China’s Supreme People's Procuratorate sent its own investigators to Shandong to review the case. On the same day, the Shandong Supreme Court said that it was processing an appeal by Yu’s lawyers.
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