China Local News
U.S. Citizen Faces Death Penalty in China for 2021 Ningbo Murder
The American citizen was sentenced in the Ningbo murder case that drew widespread attention last year.
On Thursday, April 21, Chinese media outlets reported about a court case in which a China-based American citizen was sentenced to death for the murder of a Chinese woman in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province.
The defendant, Shadid Abdul Mateen (沙迪德·阿布杜梅亭), was sentenced at the Ningbo Intermediate People’s Court in Zhejiang Province on Thursday. He was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide.
Image via Beijing Toutiao.
This case has received a lot of public attention in China, where it was previously referred to as the “June 14 foreign-related criminal case.”
On the evening of June 14, 2021, a young woman was fatally stabbed in the woods near Shiji Avenue. Four days later, local authorities issued an official statement regarding the detainment of the suspect, a non-Chinese foreign national, who had allegedly already confessed to the crime.
At the time, the case sparked a wave of anti-foreigner and racist comments on Weibo, where many speculated that the suspect was an African American male teacher at the Ningbo Institute of Engineering, the same school where the victim was a student.
Former Global Times editor Hu Xijin condemned the murder in a June 18 Weibo post, in which he then also argued that public opinion should avoid focusing on the nationality and race of the suspect.
Following the wave of discussions and speculations regarding the incident at the time, many posts and hashtags were taken offline.
According to today’s reports about the case, the defendant met the 21-year-old victim, Chen, in early 2019. The two developed a romantic relationship, but when Chen wanted to break up in May of 2021 she was threatened by the defendant, who did not want to break off their relationship.
On the night of the incident, Shadid Abdul Mateen and Chen reportedly met up to talk around 8pm near the Qingshuiqiao Intersection bus stop at Tongtu Road. The defendant had a knife with him, and stabbed Chen in the neck area multiple times around 9.48pm that same night. Chen also suffered stab and cut wounds in the face and died from blood loss.
News of the defendant getting the death sentence was widely shared on Chinese social media, where thousands of commenters supported the court’s decision. One hashtag about the topic (#美国籍被告人故意杀人案一审被判死刑#) received 110 million views within hours after it was first posted online.
The official account of the Communist Youth League also responded to the verdict, posting a photo of the news topic and just writing: “Death sentence!” with a smiley next to it. Others agree with the post, writing: “Finally, some good news.”
By Manya Koetse
Get the story behind the hashtag. Subscribe to What’s on Weibo here to receive our weekly newsletter and get access to our latest articles:
Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.
©2022 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.
China and Covid19
Anger over Guangzhou Anti-Epidemic Staff Picking Locks, Entering Homes
While these Guangzhou homeowners were quarantined at a hotel, anti-epidemic staff broke their door locks and entered their homes.
WEIBO SHORT ｜ Weibo Shorts are concise articles on topics that are trending. This article was first published
Dozens of homeowners in Guangzhou, Guangdong, were angered to find out the locks of their apartment doors were broken during their mandatory hotel quarantine.
The residents had gone to a quarantine location after a positive Covid case in their building. Afterward, anti-epidemic staff had entered their homes for disinfection and to check if any residents were still inside.
The incident happened earlier this month in an apartment complex in the Liwan district of the city.
The incident first gained attention on July 10 when various videos showing the broken door locks were posted online. During the morning, the property management had conducted an ’emergency inspection’ of 84 households. The doors were later sealed.
The case went trending again on July 18 when the residential district apologized to all homeowners for the break-ins and promised to compensate them.
“What’s the use of apologizing?” some Weibo commenters wondered. “Where is the law? If this even happens in Guangzhou now and people in Guangdong put up with this, what else will they dare to do in the future?”
On Chinese social media, most comments on the Guangzhou incident were about the break-ins allegedly being unlawful.
Media reporter and Toutiao author Kai Lei (@凯雷), who has over two million followers on Weibo, said the incident showed that those breaking in “had no regard for the law.”
To read more about Covid-19 in China, check our articles here.
By Manya Koetse
With contributions by Miranda Barnes
Get the story behind the hashtag. Subscribe to What’s on Weibo here to receive our weekly newsletter and get access to our latest articles:
Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.
©2022 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.
China Local News
Shanghai Ruijin Hospital Stabbing Incident
The police opened fire and subdued the suspect, who stabbed at least four people at Shanghai’s Ruijin Hospital on Saturday.
WEIBO SHORT ｜ Weibo Shorts are concise articles on topics that are currently trending. This article was first published
On Saturday July 9, a stabbing incident that occurred at Shanghai’s renowned Ruijin Hospital (上海瑞金医院) shocked Chinese netizens as videos showing the panic and chaos at the scene circulated in Wechat groups and on Weibo.
At around 11:30 AM the police department started receiving calls that there was someone stabbing people at the hospital, which is located in the city’s Huangpu district. At the scene of the incident, at the 7th floor of the outpatient clinic, they found a knife-wielding man holding a group of people hostage.
According to police reports, the police opened fire and subdued the suspect. Four people who were injured during the knife attack are now being treated, none of them are in a life-threatening situation.
People fled the scene at Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai's Huangpu District this morning, where at least four people were injured after a stabbing incident. pic.twitter.com/AFn0ZlWIIr
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) July 9, 2022
The case is currently under investigation.
According to The Paper, Ruijin Hospital resumed its outpatient services at 14:08 this afternoon.
This is the second stabbing incident in Shanghai this week. On Monday, a man was arrested after going on a random stabbing spree in Shanghai’s Jing’an District.
While some Shanghai residents say the recent incidents made them feel less safe, others praise the fast police response to the incident.
One doctor from Shanghai posted on Weibo that hospitals should have proper security checks in place in order to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening again in the future.
By Manya Koetse
With contributions by Miranda Barnes
Get the story behind the hashtag. Subscribe to What’s on Weibo here to receive our weekly newsletter and get access to our latest articles:
Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.
©2022 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.
China ‘Strikes Back’: Taiwan Military Drills, Countermeasures, and Waves of Nationalism on Weibo
Zhou Zhou in West Africa: Chinese Woman Trending on Weibo after Going ‘Missing’ in Nigeria
Pelosi in Taiwan: “1.4 Billion People Do Not Agree with Interference in China’s Sovereignty Issues”
The Impossible Love Story: Nancy Pelosi and Hu Xijin Become Popular Imaginary Couple
Chinese Internet Company Sina Abruptly Shuts Down ‘Sina Taiwan’ Platform
What Happened in Tangshan? The Violent Restaurant Incident Everyone Is Talking About
Chinese Elementary School Textbook Triggers Controversy for Being “Tragically Ugly”
The Impossible Love Story: Nancy Pelosi and Hu Xijin Become Popular Imaginary Couple
Resisting the Rat Race: From China’s Buddhist Youth to Lying Flat Movement
Chinese Math Schoolbook Gate Continues
-
China Insight2 months agoWhat Happened in Tangshan? The Violent Restaurant Incident Everyone Is Talking About
-
China Arts & Entertainment3 months ago
Chinese Elementary School Textbook Triggers Controversy for Being “Tragically Ugly”
-
China Memes & Viral1 week ago
The Impossible Love Story: Nancy Pelosi and Hu Xijin Become Popular Imaginary Couple
-
China and Covid193 months ago
Resisting the Rat Race: From China’s Buddhist Youth to Lying Flat Movement
