China: Gu Kailai Sentenced

They’re calling it the biggest trial in China in a generation.

On one level, it’s a simple murder case.

But the perpetrator is Gu Kailai, the wife of disgraced former top Communist Party official, Bo Xilai.

The victim was a foreign businessman; Neil Heywood, from Britain.

On Monday, Gu Kailai, was given a suspended death sentence.

It’s unusual in China for those found guilty of intentional homicide to be spared immediate execution.

Zhang Lijia, an independent writer and journalist in Beijing, says the trial has fascinated China, providing a rare glimpse inside the world of the nation’s elite.

Many Chinese, says Zhang, are concerned to know if the trial followed the law strictly, since it was conducted so hastily.

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Marco Werman: I’m Marco Werman and this is The World. They’re calling it the biggest trial in China in a generation. On one level, it’s a simple murder case, but the perpetrator is the wife of a disgraced former top Communist Party official; the victim, a foreign businessman. So it’s not so simple. Today, the confessed killer, Gu Kailai, was given a suspended death sentence. Zhang Lijia is an independent writer and journalist in Beijing.

Werman: Can you tell us, first of all, before we get into the meat of the story, Lijia, what is a suspended death sentence? What does that mean?

Zhang: It means – as compared to a death sentence, which means she will be executed – suspended death sentence, often, from what I understand, in two years down the road, there could be a review, and in this case, I’m almost certain, that the sentence will be reduced to a life sentence. And in further few years, it depends also on political situation, I think she can be released on a medical grounds.

Werman: I see.

Zhang: So a suspended sentence is much more lenient, compared to a death sentence.

Werman: Right. Well, it is a relatively lenient sentence for a case of intentional homicide, capital murder, in China. What accounts for that?

Zhang: This is exactly what I predicted, because we all knew that she will get a lengthy sentence because she admitted it already. But on the other hand, I think a severe sentence, like a death sentence, would probably lead to more outrage and controversy, because, after all, her husband’s family is still very powerful, even though her husband, Bo Xilai, now has been disgraced.

Werman: Right, Well, tell us about that part of the story. I mean, Bo Xilai was a fast-rising star in the Communist Party, a powerful man, and a member of the Politburo.

Zhang: He, first of all, he is a red princeling, meaning he is the son of a high-ranking leader. His father, Bo Yibo, was very influential and friends with Chairman Mao and all that. So he was a rising legal star, and it sounds like, from all accounts, he was a very capable, very ambitious man.

Werman: Now, Gu Kailai, his wife, who was sentenced today, she was also very well known in China. What is known about her?

Zhang: She wasn’t that well known. She was known in certain fields, and she was certainly a successful lawyer. Now, she’s certainly a household name. The whole case has been – you know, the whole country – people in China have absolutely been fascinated by the whole thing. You know, in China, the leaders and their families have been shrouded in secrecy. For once, we saw how all these financial dealings – son studying at Oxford and Harvard – and the corruption, and the political intrigue, all these things. It’s almost like a thriller.

Werman: Right. What do Chinese say about Gu Kailai, amongst themselves?

Zhang: It’s funny, if you read Sina Weibo, which I do almost every day -

Werman: That’s a big social media site in China.

Zhang: – Yes, yes. There are all kinds of interesting voices. For example, there have been concerns, if the law has been observed strictly. Everything that has been done in such a hasty fashion. The whole trial lasted for one day. And I think that the government’s obviously very keen to end this drama. The fact that the whole country, in preparing for the coming 18th Party Congress, will see the once-in-a-decade leadership change. So the leaders are, obviously, very keen to get this out of the way. Some people have voiced concern about irregularity and things like that.

Werman: Zhang Lijia, independent writer who lives in Beijing. Thank you for your time.

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