China Frees Waitress Who Killed Bigwig in Sex Attack

Woman became a folk hero for standing up to corrupt official who assaulted her

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 17, 2009 3:28 AM CDT

(Newser) – A Chinese court has freed a waitress who fatally stabbed a Communist Party bigwig as he sexually assaulted her, the Telegraph reports. Deng Yujiao, 21, slashed the official with a pocket knife after he forced her onto a couch, demanded sex, and slapped her with wads of money. The case sparked widespread anger in China and a huge online campaign to ensure she received a fair trial. She was convicted of causing injury but freed because she turned herself in and suffered from "mood disorders."

"Deng Yujiao is a metaphor for someone who fights back against officials, and of course the officials are those who spend the taxpayers’ money, who are so abusive to ordinary citizens and so corrupt,” said one professor. “It’s almost a stereotype of the online image of officials. That’s why this case becomes so big.”

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Deng Yujiao exits a local court with her mother, in Badong County, central China's Hubei Province, yesterday. (AP Photo/Xinhua,Hao Tongqian)

Deng Yujiao is seen at a local court in Badong County in central China's Hubei Province yesterday. (AP Photo/Xinhua,Hao Tongqian)

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The case is definitely a milestone. It is a legal lesson to all Chinese women, who now know that it is rightful, and nothing to be afraid of, to defend themselves against violence.
- Xie Lihua, director of the Beijing-based Rural Women Development Centre

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China Frees Waitress Who Killed Bigwig in Sex Attack