Ten people have been convicted of rioting and clashing with police in central China in an incident stemming from outrage over the suicide of a local worker, a local government said yesterday.
Five were handed jail terms of up to five years, while five others were convicted of inciting trouble but given suspended sentences on Saturday, the Shishou City government in Hubei Province said on its Web site.
The violence erupted after the body of Tu Yuangao (涂遠高), 24, was found on June 17 in front of the Shishou hotel, where he worked as a chef.
Police ruled Tu’s death was suicide and tried to remove his body from outside the hotel, but his family demanded an investigation.
Rumors that Tu was killed for threatening to expose alleged drug trafficking at the hotel fueled the unrest, reports at the time said.
Two of Tu’s relatives, including his brother and cousin, were among those sentenced on Saturday.
More than 60 police were injured in the clashes and 16 police vehicles were damaged, it said.
The conviction of Tu’s relatives comes after authorities promised the family they would not be held accountable for “non-organized criminal activities” linked to the unrest if they agreed with the police findings that the death was a suicide, reports said.
Authorities further paid Tu’s family 80,000 yuan (US$11,760) to accept the verdict, which they did, reports said.
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