Court Rules in Favor of Tang Hui!

Finally! In light of the George Zimmerman fiasco in the States and the fact that Changsha courts are under fire for executing a man over the weekend without notifying his family, some good judicial news was highly welcomed (and surprising) today.

Tang Hui was suing the Yangzhou Re-education Through Labor Commission for unlawful detention and mental anguish. The Hunan High Court today ruled in her favor and ordered the commission to pay Tang 2,941 RMB in compensation. A pittance, really, and a fraction of the 100,000 RMB the courts tried to bribe her with before the hearing, but the 2,941 RMB is served along with justice and the message that these unchecked Labor Commissions cannot just go around imprisoning people without just cause or a trial simply because they annoy them.

China’s Re-education system, the system that allows the government to imprison anyone without formal charges or any kind of hearing, has been coming under fire in recent years and Tang’s situation has led to many demands for change and even abolition of the system. Will the fact that the court sided against the labor commission mean the end is nigh? That’s too much to hope for. But maybe these Re-education Commissions will think twice before they lock someone up again.