Villagers plead leniency for boy who 'killed' a man

BEIJING - More than 900 villagers in Northeast China's Liaoning province have signed a letter begging for leniency for a 16-year-old boy who has been charged with killing a man who tried to stop villagers' appeals to higher authorities over home relocation disputes.

Zhao Mingyang, from Xiaowa village of Fushun city, who has been accused in the fatal stabbing of 33-year-old Li Xiaolong on Oct 9, 2009, is now waiting for trial, Beijing Times reported on Thursday.

On Oct 9 last year, Zhao joined 200 other villagers traveling to the Dashi town government, as they believed two officials of their village, the Party secretary Zang Yuquan and a director surnamed Liu, had cheated them and illegally embezzled 6.96 million yuan ($1.02 million).