Jailers in court over 'hide and seek' death
Two prison guards stood trial yesterday in a high-profile case in Yunnan in which an inmate died under suspicious circumstances on February 12 at a detention centre.
Li Dongming, 48, and Su Shaolu, 36 - guards at the centre, in Jinning county - appeared at the Songming County People's Court charged with lax management, mainland media said. Prosecutors and lawyers for the two guards presented their arguments, but no verdict was reached.
The case was assigned to the Songming court by the Kunming Intermediate People's Court.
It received national attention when an outcry on the internet forced a further investigation after prison officials first said the inmate, Li Qiaoming, a 24-year-old farmer, died while playing hide-and-seek with his cellmates.
He was being detained for illegal logging - his father said it was to pay for his wedding
The provincial government was forced to reverse its story and admit that Li had been beaten by other inmates - a typical case of bullying in prison, which prompted widespread criticism after a series of unusual deaths of people while in police custody highlighted a deep-rooted problem in the detention system.
The change in story and the charges filed against the guards were hailed as a victory for the public and the media.
Prosecutors said the bullying took place because Li Dongming had been negligent in his duty while supervising the detention cell.
The charge against Su, the other guard, was not directly related to Li's death, but prosecutors said investigations had revealed that Su was involved in repeated physical abuse and violent punishment.
The Kunming procuratorate has also promised to punish the three cellmates who were believed to have attacked Li.
