Current:Home > MarketsMan sentenced to prison for abuse of woman seen chained up in viral video that drew outcry in China -Visionary Growth Labs
Man sentenced to prison for abuse of woman seen chained up in viral video that drew outcry in China
View
Date:2025-04-17 22:38:37
Beijing — A Chinese man on Friday was sentenced to nine years in prison for abusing and unlawfully detaining a woman who was shown chained in a viral video that sparked an outcry in China last year. The abuse of the woman, "Xiaohuamei," or Little Plum Blossom, raised widespread concerns in China in February last year and at times overshadowed Beijing's Winter Olympics online. Her story appeared in Chinese social media despite digital and human censors and prompted commentators to exhort national media to highlight the scandal.
After the announcement of the sentencing on Friday, the case became one of the most searched topics on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, with many people complaining that nine years imprisonment for the man was too lenient of a punishment for what he did to her.
The court in Xuzhou city that handed down the sentence said in a statement that Dong Zhimin and his late father bought Little Plum Blossom in the late 1990s for 5,000 yuan ($727) and that he had abused her in recent years by chaining her around the neck and tying her body with pieces of cloth and ropes. She suffered from hunger and lived in a place without water or electricity, it said. That was despite him fathering eight children with her.
"Dong Zhimin's abuse has caused serious harm to Little Plum Blossom's health. After examination, Little Plum Blossom was diagnosed with schizophrenia," the statement said.
The court also sentenced five others to prison for between eight and 13 years and fined them for trafficking her decades ago.
According to an investigation, Little Plum Blossom was first brought to Jiangsu province on China's eastern coast from southwestern Yunnan province after she was abducted by two of the five people in early 1998. They sold her to a farmer for 5,000 yuan ($727).
After living with the farmer for a while, the woman went missing and was found by a couple in Henan province in central China in June 1998. The couple then sold her to two others for 3,000 yuan ($436) and that pair subsequently sold her for 5,000 yuan ($727) to the Dongs in Feng county in Jiangsu.
The wife of the couple was not charged because the impact of her role was considered relatively minor, the court said, but her husband and the pair who sold Little Plum Blossom to Dong were among the five who were charged and sentenced for trafficking her.
The official Xinhua news agency quoted Little Plum Blossom's doctor in a report saying she was still being treated in a hospital. But her eldest son told the agency that his mother, who once could not identify him at times, can now recognize him and call him by his name.
On Weibo, many people expressed their anger over the case. "Only nine years? Nine years for ruining her life? Go to hell really," one user wrote.
- In:
- slavery
- Rape
- Sexual Abuse
- China
- Kidnapping
- Human Trafficking
veryGood! (44)
Related
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Thousands of Americans still trying to escape Sudan after embassy staff evacuated
- I have a name for what fueled Joe Rogan's new scandal: Bigotry Denial Syndrome
- Police document: 19-year-old Elizabeth Holmes reported sexual assault from Stanford
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Diplo Says He's Received Oral Sex From a Guy in Discussion on His Sexuality
- India's population set to surpass China's in summer 2023, U.N. says
- Cyberattack on Red Cross compromised sensitive data on over 515,000 vulnerable people
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Sudan fighting brings huge biological risk as lab holding samples of deadly diseases occupied, WHO warns
Ranking
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Lindsay Lohan Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby With Husband Bader Shammas
- Ok. I guess we'll talk about the metaverse.
- One of King Charles' relatives pushes for U.K. families that profited from slavery to make amends
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Dame Edna creator Barry Humphries dies at 89
- Rachel Bilson's Sex Confession Will Have You Saying a Big O-M-G
- You might still have time to buy holiday gifts online and get same-day delivery
Recommendation
South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
Elizabeth Holmes spent 7 days defending herself against fraud. Will the jury buy it?
Without Inventor James West, This Interview Might Not Have Been Possible
With King Charles' coronation just days away, poll finds 70% of young Brits not interested in royal family
Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
Blac Chyna Reveals Her Next Cosmetic Procedure Following Breast and Butt Reduction Surgery
What the Joe Rogan podcast controversy says about the online misinformation ecosystem
Sister of slain security officer sues Facebook over killing tied to Boogaloo movement