Two prison guards stood trial yesterday in a high-profile case in Yunnan in which an inmate died under suspicious circumstances on February 12 at a detention centre.
Li Dongming, 48, and Su Shaolu, 36 - guards at the centre, in Jinning county - appeared at the Songming County People's Court charged with lax management, mainland media said. Prosecutors and lawyers for the two guards presented their arguments, but no verdict was reached.
The case was assigned to the Songming court by the Kunming Intermediate People's Court.
It received national attention when an outcry on the internet forced a further investigation after prison officials first said the inmate, Li Qiaoming, a 24-year-old farmer, died while playing hide-and-seek with his cellmates.
He was being detained for illegal logging - his father said it was to pay for his wedding
The provincial government was forced to reverse its story and admit that Li had been beaten by other inmates - a typical case of bullying in prison, which prompted widespread criticism after a series of unusual deaths of people while in police custody highlighted a deep-rooted problem in the detention system.
