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Criminal charges against teenager withdrawn
初中生发帖散播谣言被刑拘已获释
Police in Tianshui city, in northwestern Gansu province, have withdrawn criminal charges against a high school student for spreading rumors.
16-year Yang Hui was released on Monday after a week in detention. Yang posted comments online questioning the cause of a man’s death earlier this month, and calling for protests against the local government.
An investigation into the man’s death showed it was a suicide. Yang became the first person in China to face criminal charges for spreading rumors since a new interpretation on online rumor-mongering was implemented.
The new interpretation by the Supreme People’s Court stipulates that someone can be found guilty if posts containing rumors are forwarded on the internet over 500 times.
The case has triggered online debate over whether it’s right for this interpretation to apply to juveniles. Local police say Yang confessed to spreading rumors, and should be shown leniency.
