Division of property in a divorce case that was unsatisfactory to one of the parties involved resulted in the death of a Beijing judge on Friday. Following the murder of 38-year-old Judge Ma Caiyun of Changping District People’s Court, the government promised to provide more protection to justices.
Ma was shot in the face and stomach by two suspects who killed themselves when police caught up with the two in a vehicle in Yanqing district early the next morning. Li Fusheng, the husband of Ma and a police officer in the same court, was injured also during the Friday shooting, reported China Daily.
Ma decided on the property allocation in a divorce case. One of the suspects, also with the surname Li, was not happy with her ruling. She is considered a model judge who decides on almost 400 cases yearly.
News of the incident spread fast among judges in China, causing a Fujian Province judge who handles mostly civil disputes to state that he will pay more attention on protecting his family and his privacy. The Supreme People’s Court, in turn, condemned the violent attack on judges.
Sun Jungong, spokesman of the Supreme People’s Court, vowed to put in place better and more effective protection for judges, but would still deal strictly with cases that involve property or personal damage. The guideline on how to protect China’s judges is expected to be released this year, 2016, said Hu Shihao, director of the Judicial Reform Office of the Supreme People’s Court.
Hinting of the measures, Hu said people who cause trouble or disruption in court hearings would be punished heavily. Phone numbers and home addresses of judges would not be divulged to the public. That’s because Ma was shot inside her home, according to Shanghaiist.