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Opinion | Time for animal abusers in China to face proper justice
- A student expelled after beating a cat has prompted debate about morality and the lack of animal cruelty laws
- Lawyers say it is difficult to define abuse or decide which animals to include, but tough laws could also ultimately help protect people from violent offenders
After the video was posted, the college announced they had expelled the student after receiving 14 letters accusing him of animal abuse. According to a document read out by a college spokesperson, “The incident spread widely online and affected the school’s reputation.” It also accused the student of sharing lewd videos and skipping classes.
A few days earlier, a similar case of animal abuse surfaced, this time involving a student who had scored the highest mark in a graduate school entrance exam for Nanjing University’s nuclear physics course. In that case, netizens found out he had previously uploaded videos of himself abusing a cat.
The university quickly responded to public concerns, saying that the student had not made it to the final round of applicants due to “failing the ideological and moral assessment”. He also failed to get into his second choice, Lanzhou University, a few days later.
Some said Nanjing University had crossed a line by rejecting a student based on “morals”. Others said it reflected what is most valued in the education system nowadays: universities should focus not only on passing on knowledge, but also on instilling into young people integrity and good values.
