Seven people convicted by a court in north China's Shanxi Province of intentionally causing
physical harm that led to the death of a reporter have been
sentenced to jail terms ranging from one year to life.
Hou Zhenrun, the prime culprit in the death of
reporter Lan Chengzhang, was sentenced to life imprisonment by
the Intermediate People's Court of Linfen City, in a first-instance
trial on Wednesday.
Hou's five accomplices -- Zheng Wenping, Wu Qiang, Ma Li, Li
Zhihong and Gao Bo -- were given jail terms of five to 15 years.
Zheng Gui, the seventh man, was convicted of harboring the suspects
and sentenced to one year in prison.
The court also ordered the main six accused to compensate Lan's
family members more than 300,000 yuan (US$39,393.34).
Lan Chengzhang, a reporter with the Beijing-based China
Trade News, died on January 11, a day after being severely
beaten outside a coal mine. Lan was investigating an illegal coal
mine owned by Hou in Datong, a major coal mining city in Shanxi,
according to the court verdict.
The case has been complicated by allegations that Lan and his
colleague Cheng Hanwen were not officially accredited journalists,
and that they were trying to extort money from mine owner Hou
Zhenrun in exchange for not writing articles about the mine.
Hou organized the gang who attacked Lan and Cheng. Lan died of
head injuries sustained in the attack, while Cheng survived but
suffered a broken arm and other injuries.
(Xinhua News Agency June 28, 2007)