China: Man gets nine-year jail for keeping wife chained, 5 others convicted for trafficking

A man in China was sentenced to nine years in prison on Friday (April 7) for abusing and unlawfully detaining his wife, according to a report by the news agency Associated Press. Five other human traffickers were also sent to prison. The abuse of the woman “Xiaohuamei,” or Little Plum Blossom, raised widespread indignation in the country in February 2022. The story appeared on Chinese social media despite digital and human censors and prompted commentators to exhort national media to highlight the scandal.

The woman's husband was jailed for nine years for torture, abuse and keeping her captive. Five others received terms ranging from eight to 13 years.

And following Friday's sentencing, the case became one of the most searched topics on Weibo, with many complaining the imprisonment for the man was too lenient.

“Only nine years? Nine years for ruining her life? Go to hell really,” a Weibo user wrote.

In a statement, the court in Xuzhou city said the manDong Zhiminand his father bought Little Plum Blossom in the late 1990s for $727 (5,000 yuan) and that he had abused her in recent years by chaining her around the neck and tying her with pieces of cloth and ropes. The court said the woman suffered from hunger and lived in a place without water or electricity.

The woman is still being treated in a hospital.

“Dong Zhimin’s abuse has caused serious harm to Little Plum Blossom’s health. After examination, Little Plum Blossom was diagnosed with schizophrenia,” the court said on Friday.

Five other people were sentenced to prison for between eight and 13 years and were fined for trafficking the woman decades back. Citing an investigation, the report said that the woman was first brought to Jiangsu province from Yunnan province after she was abducted by two of the five people in early 1998. They sold her to a farmer for $727.

After living with the farmer, the woman went missing and was found by a couple in Henan province in June 1998. They sold her to two other people for $436 and then the pair sold her to Dongs in Feng County in Jiangsu.

The court said on Friday that the wife of the couple was not charged because the impact of her role was considered relatively minor. However, her husband and the pair who sold the woman to Dongs were among the five charged and sentenced.

(With inputs from agencies)

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