OPINION> Commentary
Trial should be open
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-09 07:45

The closed-door trial of Dong Feng, the notoriously corrupt former official in Xuzhou, infringes on the right of the public to see and know about it, says an article on the website www.zjol.com.cn. The following is an excerpt:

On Nov 28, Xuzhou Intermediate People's Court, Jiangsu province, held a court hearing on the case of Dong Feng, a corrupt former district Party chief, and his mistress, barring journalists from attending the trial.

Dong Feng, the notorious and polygamous former Party chief, is a typical example of corruption among officials. The in-depth analysis of Dong's slip into corruption may serve as a warning to other government officials. The court hearing is probably the best source of education for officials in general.

The ban is on the ground that it is a "special and influential case".

The ban actually revealed the fear of the local government. It could be afraid that Dong's case might expose some tacit links of others at different levels of the local government . Whatever the reasons, the ban hampers the effective supervision by the public and may hardly remove the negative influence of Dong's case on local political climate.

(China Daily 12/09/2008 page8)