Top court condemns killing of judge in Henan

The Supreme People's Court, the country's top court, has condemned the killing of a judge in Henan province last week, expressing deep condolences on Monday to the victim's family and vowing to uphold justice.

Zhang Jun, the top court's president, also expressed sympathy to the family members of Wang Jiajia, deputy chief judge of the case filing division at the Yancheng District People's Court.

Wang, 37, was found at the entrance of an underground parking lot in her residential area around 6:30 pm on Wednesday. Police who arrived at the scene discovered she had died from neck injuries, according to a statement released by the district court.

Surveillance footage led police to identify the suspect as a 50-year-old man surnamed Dang, who was a plaintiff in a traffic accident compensation case overseen by Wang. The court said Dang was found unconscious after ingesting poison when police arrived at his home early Thursday morning. He is in stable condition after receiving medical treatment, and the case remains under investigation.

Details provided by the court revealed that Dang was involved in a traffic accident on April 4, in which his two-wheeled electric bike collided with a small van driven by someone surnamed Li. Dang sustained minor injuries, and an investigation by traffic police found Li to be at fault.

On July 4, Dang filed a lawsuit against Li, seeking more than 18,000 yuan ($2,507) in compensation after the two parties failed to reach an agreement. On July 23, Wang ruled that Li's insurance company should pay Dang over 9,300 yuan to cover his medical expenses, which included treatment, nutrition and nursing care.

Unsatisfied with the ruling, Dang did not appeal to a higher court or seek additional legal aid. Instead, he went to Wang's home on Wednesday evening with a weapon.

The district court condemned the attack. "We strongly condemn and are greatly outraged by the act of harming judicial staff members," it said. "We'll continue to fulfill our duties and enforce laws to uphold fairness and justice."

Wang was recognized for her dedication to her work, having handled 428 cases last year and resolved 271 lawsuits this year.

This incident is not the first time judges have been targeted by disgruntled litigants. In January 2021, Zhou Chunmei, a judge at Hunan Provincial High People's Court, was fatally stabbed by a woman in a parking garage after refusing to bend the law in a labor-related case. The attacker was later sentenced to death for intentional homicide.

In 2016, Ma Caiyun, a judge at Beijing's Changping District People's Court, was shot and killed in her community by two people who later died by suicide. One of the attackers was reportedly unhappy with a ruling Ma had made regarding the division of property in his divorce.

The top court has called for greater protection for judicial employees in recent years, implementing measures such as installing quick-response alarms in court buildings and creating safe meeting rooms for judges and litigants. The top court has urged courts at all levels to establish associations to support judges facing physical or economic harm due to their work and has issued guidelines clarifying that those who threaten or harm judicial staff can be removed from courtrooms, fined or detained for disrupting court proceedings.