Over 30 Defendants Convicted in Beijing Houhai “One-Night Stand” Fraud

后海吧托30余人被判刑

Beijing Evening News, 2009-03-31

Beijing's Xicheng Court sentenced over 30 defendants to prison terms ranging from 1 to 5.5 years for fraudulently enticing “online boyfriends” to spend extravagantly at a Houhai-area bar and coffee shop. Zhao Yucai and Wang Baojia allegedly wrote internet postings seeking “one-night stands” to attract men to the bar or coffee shop where pre-arranged young women encouraged the men to purchase expensive foods and drinks before leaving the men alone in the bar. The young women's defense attorney argued that the supposed “victims” had “harbored dark thoughts and illicit motives” and should not be considered “victims.” All the young women involved received 1-2 year sentences.

Statistics on Tibetan Legal Aid Reported

西藏法律援助8年来受理困难群众案件3600余件
Xinhua News, 2009-03-31
According to the vice-director of the Ministry of Justice's office in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), government-supported legal aid in the TAR has assisted in 3,628 cases involving people with “economic difficulties or special cases” since legal aid began in the area in 2001. In 2009 legal aid funding is expected to increase to 500,000 yuan, a dramatic rise over 2008's 180,000 yuan. Future improvements in aid will focus on expanding services into the township and village level and increasing the number of legal aid workers bilingual in Tibetan and Chinese.

Series of Articles Examines “Prison Bully” Problem

【牢头狱霸之治】牢中生死录

Southern Weekend, 2009-03-26

Southern Weekend, a progressive weekly news magazine, published a series of articles examining the root causes behind China's “prison bully” problem highlighted by the recent “hide-and-seek” prison death scandal. Two articles follow the life and death struggles of inmates who themselves became “cell bosses” and exposes the inner-workings of a brutal prison culture facilitated by official permissiveness. Another article interviews Wang Shunan, law professor at China University of Political Science and Law, who cites budget, manning and management problems, as well as police investigation tactics—including the deliberate use of inmate violence to force confessions from suspects—as underlying causes. Wang thinks any meaningful solution must include: placing prisons and detention centers directly under the Ministry of Justice, not the Public Security Bureau; isolating convicted inmates from suspects temporarily in police custody; and enhancing independent oversight.