China’s Show Trial of the Century
To commemorate its founding 25 years ago, PS is republishing a selection of commentaries written since 1994. In the following commentary, Ma Jian reflected on the trial of Gu Kailai, the wife of the purged Chinese leader Bo Xilai, and what it revealed about China’s legal system under the Communist Party of China.
LONDON – The trial, conviction, and suspended death sentence of Gu Kailai, the wife of purged Chinese leader Bo Xilai, has called into question not only China’s legal system, but the very unity of the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) leadership.