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More than 100,000 Chinese have signed a petition on a White House website urging the US to deport the chief suspect in a 19-year-old case of poisoning. yU e7o4Zm
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By Peter Ford, Staff Writer / May 6, 2013 !zu YO3:
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Chinese citizens dubious about their country’s legal system are seeking justice in an unusual place for the victim of an alleged attempted murder in China. They are taking the case to the White House. J$]-)`[G&
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More than 100,000 people have signed a petition on a White House website urging the US to deport the chief suspect in a 19-year-old unsolved case of poisoning that continues to excite strong emotions here. Adding piquancy to the case: The suspect is very well-connected politically in China. fAW(
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In 1994, a chemistry student at one of China’s top universities, Tsinghua, called Zhu Ling was poisoned with Thallium, a chemical often used in rat poison. She did not die, but was left nearly blind, paralyzed, and brain-damaged, needing constant care from her increasingly aged parents. x344}\
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Her fate has not been forgotten, says Wu Hongfei, a former journalist who has followed Ms. Zhu’s case closely, partly because she was pretty and smart and partly because Tsinghua is so prestigious. But the main reason, says Ms. Wu, is that the only real suspect in the case “had close ties to high ranking officials.” k2"DFXsv
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Sun Wei, Zhu’s roommate at Tsinghua, was investigated by the police at the time of the incident, but was never charged, though reports at the time said she had access to Thallium. The police said there was not enough evidence to pursue the case; many ordinary citizens believe that evidence was covered up because Ms. Sun’s father's cousin had been deputy mayor of Beijing and her grandfather was reputedly a friend of then President Jiang Zemin. _7)>/YK?}4
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“Because of her family background … she avoided punishment,” complained one netizen, posting as “@Jinse Guniang” on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like social media platform. aB=&X