Beijing wheelchair-bound airport bomber jailed for six years
Ji Zhongxing has been jailed after trying to highlight complaints against police by detonating a bomb in a Beijing airport
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A wheelchair-bound man has been jailed for detonating a home made bomb in a Beijing airport, in a bid to highlight a ten-year legal battle.
A Beijing court found Ji Zhongxing, 34, guilty of intentionally causing an explosion, according to state media, and sentenced him to six years imprisonment.
Ji, from eastern Shandong province, had been seeking redress, claiming police in southern Guangdong province had beaten him in 2005 so severely that he was left wheelchair-bound. He has been petitioning for justice ever since.
Ji detonated the bomb after police prevented him from handing out leaflets detailing his complaints to passers-by in the airport.
He and a policeman were the only people hurt in the explosion. The policeman suffered minor injuries.
Ji's lawyer, Liu Xiaoyuan told Reuters they considered the verdict "questionable", stressing that Ji did not intend to blow up the airport or commit suicide.
“We refuse to accept this,” said Ji Zhongji, Ji Zhongxing's brother. “In Guangdong he was beaten and nobody did anything for eight years. Shouldn't they investigate that?”
Ji's father appeared upset outside of the courtroom and vowed to appeal his son's sentence.
Ji's sentence comes weeks after the execution of a Chinese kebab vendor, who was convicted of killing two city officials, sparked public criticism of a justice system. Many have argued it punishes the poor harshly while letting the rich and powerful off more lightly.
Dozens of police officers stood guard outside the courthouse and cordoned off a large area, preventing his supporters from massing outside as they had done during Ji's trial in September.
Authorities have since promised to re-examine Ji's complaint against police, state media reported.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments