Opinion | A clear definition of domestic violence is needed to curb the crime
Two recent marital violence cases have spurred lawyers and women's rights groups to demand a law change - and save one woman's life
A law setting out a clear definition of domestic violence and its punishment is urgently needed on the mainland, as two cases remind us this month.
The first is the tragic story of Sichuan woman Li Yan, 42, who killed her drunken husband after more than a year of abuse, which included kicks and beating, burning of her face and legs with cigarette ends, starving her, locking her out on the balcony during winter, and dragging her down three flights of stairs by her hair.
On November 3, 2010, after an argument, Tan kicked Li and threatened to shoot her buttocks with an air rifle. She grabbed the rifle and struck Tan with it, killing him. Li then dismembered his body and threw the parts away.
The Ziyang Intermediate People's Court convicted Li of intentional homicide and sentenced her to immediate execution. An appeal court upheld the conviction in August last year, and in recent weeks there have been reports that the Supreme People's Court has approved the death sentence. However, Li's brother said the family had not heard anything from the courts as of yesterday.
More than 400 lawyers and women's rights activists from around the country signed a petition late last month asking the Supreme People's Court to overturn the death sentence. And last weekend, a group of female university students did some daring "flash" protests outside courts in eight cities. .
Meanwhile, another 12,000 people have signed a petition urging the National People's Congress (NPC) to speed up legislating on domestic abuse.
