China police response to domestic violence case during COVID-19 lockdown in Xi’an sparks uproar

BEIJING: A viral video of a man beating his wife in China, and police’s handling of the case, has renewed a debate online in the country over how to punish domestic abusers.

Last week, a home security video that showed a man from the northwestern city of Xi’an assaulting his wife during a citywide COVID-19 lockdown was widely circulated on Chinese social media.

The police response to the incident triggered an even wider uproar, with a related hashtag racking up more than 3.6 million views.

Over the weekend, Xi’an police said the man, surnamed Wang, would be kept in custody for five days then released without criminal charge.

Under a Chinese domestic violence law passed in 2016, perpetrators can be punished with no more than 20 days of police detention. Tougher punishments can only be meted out if there are serious injuries and criminal intent is proved.

The Xi’an video showed the man repeatedly hitting his partner as a child watches from a few feet away.

It was first posted by the woman’s relatives and colleagues, then later picked up by official Chinese media.

“Domestic abusers only get punished with five days’ detention, and you wonder why Chinese women don’t want to get married or have babies?,” read one comment on Weibo.

According to police, a fight over family chores had escalated due to the wife’s “extreme words and deeds”. The statement added that officers had since “criticised and educated” the woman – a move that triggered a swift online backlash.

“It’s no use relying on the law for protection against domestic violence when all they do is criticise the victim,” another Weibo commentator said.

The woman “sustained soft-tissue damage,” the police said, without giving details of her injuries.

Source link