'Forced reconciliation' denied in bullying case

A city government in Shanxi province has denied the allegation that it had organized a "forced reconciliation" between the families of a boy and three other minors who forced him to swallow human excrement.

Last week, a widely circulated video showed a tearful boy being forced to eat feces, with someone around him yelling "swallow it". The boy vomited the feces after gagging.

On Saturday, Jiexiu's publicity authority said in a preliminary statement that the incident occurred on June 17 when three underage individuals bullied another minor and posted the video on the internet.

The statement said that the police had filed a case and "severely criticized and educated" the three minors and their parents, noting that the parents were ordered to strictly discipline their children and apologize to the victim and his parents.

It said both sides had reached a reconciliation.

According to online media outlet ThePaper.cn, the victim's father said he received compensation of 45,000 yuan ($6,400) under the settlement reached last Saturday.

He added that his son was traumatized, his mental state unstable, and he had been sent for medical treatment.

However, a large number of netizens remain angry and believe that the three underage youths who bullied the boy have not been punished. They also suspect that the settlement may have been coerced.

Therefore, Jiexiu publicity authority revealed more details in an updated statement on Thursday morning.

According to the updated statement, on June 17, after "encountering" the boy, the three youths interrogated him about whether he had cursed at them. Afterward, they took him to a nearby public toilet, physically assaulted him, forced him to eat "foreign items", and recorded a video of the incident, which was later uploaded online.

The statement said that since these three bullying youths are all under the age of 12, the police did not impose punishment on them but ordered their guardians to discipline them, in accordance with the Law on Penalties for Administration of Public Security.

Furthermore, it revealed that over the past two weeks, the guardians of both parties conducted three rounds of mediation organized by the police.

Ultimately, on the early morning of July 1, they officially signed the mediation agreement, with a compensation amount of 45,000 yuan.

The mediation process was supported by audio and video evidence and followed the procedures of the police, it added.

According to the local authority, the victim is currently receiving treatment in hospital. The city's education department is providing daily psychological counseling for him, but the government did not disclose his current physical and mental condition.

The statement also said that at the parents' request, the boy will be transferred to another school district in the new semester, and the government will provide assistance in his studies.

It added that the boy and his family have already received face-to-face apologies from the other three children and their guardians.

However, the local authority's statement, which provided more details, failed to appease the public's anger with many leaving disapproving comments.