A judge in Beijing was shot dead Friday evening by two gunmen who later committed suicide, one of whom was the plaintiff in a property dispute the judge had presided over, China's top court announced on Sunday.
Ma Caiyun, a 38-year-old judge of the Huilongguan court in Changping district, was pronounced dead after she was sent to the hospital at around 10:15 pm on Friday, the Supreme People's Court (SPC) announced on its Sina Weibo account on Sunday. It also noted that Ma's husband Li Fusheng, who also works for the court as a court officer, was slightly injured by the two gunmen outside their house.
The two killers shot themselves after police cornered them in Yanqing district on Saturday morning, the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau said Sunday.
The preliminary investigation showed that one of the suspects, a man surnamed Li, was dissatisfied with Ma's ruling on the distribution of marital property after a divorce, according to the police.
There have been several cases in China, especially in recent years, in which judges have been beaten, stabbed, attacked with sulfuric acid or even shot. Some judges have said that they are "dancers on a sharp knife," according to the People's Court Daily.
The SPC also condemned the killing in another article published on Sunday, urging the protection of the lives and property of judges and their relatives.
The safety of judicial personnel is directly tied to the country's pursuit of justice, which should not take place under threat, Ruan Qilin, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, told the Global imes.
