Scepticism greets six-year jail term for the man who shouted ‘my father is Li Gang’
Shi Jiangtao in Beijing 31 January 2011
The man who infamously shouted “my father is Li Gang “ was sentenced yesterday by a Hebei court to six years in jail for his drunken hit-and-run fatality.
But the verdict on Li Qiming, delivered yesterday by the Wangdu County People’s Court in Baoding, where his father worked as a deputy district police chief, was greeted with scepticism that family connections helped him avoid worse punishment and muzzled media criticism.
Li Qiming was found guilty of drink-driving and running over two students while speeding through the campus of Hebei University in Baoding on October 16. Chen Xiaofeng, a 20-year-old student, was killed in the accident.
Chen’s family challenged the outcome, maintaining that the driver should be charged with endangering public safety, a felony with the minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, instead of with a regular traffic crime, for which the maximum sentence is seven years.
Chen’s older brother, Chen Lin, who attended the hearing yesterday, said: “It is not about whether we are satisfied. It is a matter of the nature of the accident.”
The incident grabbed national headlines and sparked an outcry after Li Qiming was widely quoted as brushing off witnesses’ accusations by saying “my father is Li Gang” when he was stopped from fleeing the scene. His apparent contempt for the law and attempts to use his father’s influence to avoid punishment stirred a firestorm about rampant official corruption and made his quote a household catchphrase.
Chen Lin said the widespread public attention and mounting calls for justice on the internet had apparently exerted pressure on the authorities and obtained some results.
“We had been concerned that Li may get away with a verdict of three years in jail or even a commuted sentence of some sort,” Chen said.
Lawyer Hu Yihua said Chen’s family had few options left. Hu, who did not attended the hearing yesterday, said Chen’s relatives, as victims of the accidents, could only protest against the ruling through Wangdu county prosecutors.
Another lawyer, Zhang Kai , who was sacked by the Chen family in November, also noted Chen’s family would have to accept the ruling with slim chances of appealing to a higher court or seeking a retrial.
Zhang said he was deeply disappointed with the verdict, which he called a disgrace.
“The case has vividly exposed almost all the major flaws with our justice system and will further undermine its credibility,” he said.
Zhang noted political intervention had stolen the show almost from the outset, with his sacking, bans on media coverage and mounting pressure on Chen’s family to accept a compensation offer from Li’s family.
“It is sad that the verdict failed to defuse tensions and outrage surrounding the younger Li, but instead has seen the rise of anger and disbelief towards the unjust legal system,” Zhang said.
The family accepted 460,000 yuan (HK$543,000) in compensation and signed a letter of forgiveness in November under enormous pressure from local authorities.
Li Gang’s willingness to offer the compensation and Li Qiming’s guilty plea were cited by the court as reasons for leniency in the sentence.
Li Gang did not attend the hearing yesterday, though two other family members did. Despite a promise of an open trial, most mainland media reporters were barred from attending the hearing.
Most internet users expressed disappointment with the verdict, with many questioning whether justice was done.
“What a shame,” said one internet user on the news portal Sina.com. “I wish I had a father like Li Gang who could acquit the drink-driving killer of severe punishment.”
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Sentence for hit-and-run death criticised
Scepticism greets six-year jail term for the man who shouted ‘my father is Li Gang’
Shi Jiangtao in Beijing
31 January 2011
The man who infamously shouted “my father is Li Gang “ was sentenced yesterday by a Hebei court to six years in jail for his drunken hit-and-run fatality.
But the verdict on Li Qiming, delivered yesterday by the Wangdu County People’s Court in Baoding, where his father worked as a deputy district police chief, was greeted with scepticism that family connections helped him avoid worse punishment and muzzled media criticism.
Li Qiming was found guilty of drink-driving and running over two students while speeding through the campus of Hebei University in Baoding on October 16. Chen Xiaofeng, a 20-year-old student, was killed in the accident.
Chen’s family challenged the outcome, maintaining that the driver should be charged with endangering public safety, a felony with the minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, instead of with a regular traffic crime, for which the maximum sentence is seven years.
Chen’s older brother, Chen Lin, who attended the hearing yesterday, said: “It is not about whether we are satisfied. It is a matter of the nature of the accident.”
The incident grabbed national headlines and sparked an outcry after Li Qiming was widely quoted as brushing off witnesses’ accusations by saying “my father is Li Gang” when he was stopped from fleeing the scene. His apparent contempt for the law and attempts to use his father’s influence to avoid punishment stirred a firestorm about rampant official corruption and made his quote a household catchphrase.
Chen Lin said the widespread public attention and mounting calls for justice on the internet had apparently exerted pressure on the authorities and obtained some results.
“We had been concerned that Li may get away with a verdict of three years in jail or even a commuted sentence of some sort,” Chen said.
Lawyer Hu Yihua said Chen’s family had few options left. Hu, who did not attended the hearing yesterday, said Chen’s relatives, as victims of the accidents, could only protest against the ruling through Wangdu county prosecutors.
Another lawyer, Zhang Kai , who was sacked by the Chen family in November, also noted Chen’s family would have to accept the ruling with slim chances of appealing to a higher court or seeking a retrial.
Zhang said he was deeply disappointed with the verdict, which he called a disgrace.
“The case has vividly exposed almost all the major flaws with our justice system and will further undermine its credibility,” he said.
Zhang noted political intervention had stolen the show almost from the outset, with his sacking, bans on media coverage and mounting pressure on Chen’s family to accept a compensation offer from Li’s family.
“It is sad that the verdict failed to defuse tensions and outrage surrounding the younger Li, but instead has seen the rise of anger and disbelief towards the unjust legal system,” Zhang said.
The family accepted 460,000 yuan (HK$543,000) in compensation and signed a letter of forgiveness in November under enormous pressure from local authorities.
Li Gang’s willingness to offer the compensation and Li Qiming’s guilty plea were cited by the court as reasons for leniency in the sentence.
Li Gang did not attend the hearing yesterday, though two other family members did. Despite a promise of an open trial, most mainland media reporters were barred from attending the hearing.
Most internet users expressed disappointment with the verdict, with many questioning whether justice was done.
“What a shame,” said one internet user on the news portal Sina.com. “I wish I had a father like Li Gang who could acquit the drink-driving killer of severe punishment.”
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