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The man accused of having sexually assaulted his male students over a long period of time stood trial in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province on Thursday, with a verdict to be announced on an undetermined date.
The 39-year-old suspect surnamed Liang, who used to be a teacher at two high schools in Sichuan, is charged with the crime of "forcible indecency". The indictment from local prosecutor shows that from 2016 to 2018, Liang molested seven of his students in different locations in various ways.
The suspect surnamed Liang is charged with the crime of "forcible indecency." /from website
"I'm basically satisfied with the court hearing. The judges handled the case based on related laws," Liu Yong, the only victim that appeared in court, told CGTN after the eight-hour hearing.
"But what Liang said to defend himself has broken through the bottom line of what can be called 'shameless'," said Liu, who is still an undergraduate. He experienced the nightmare during high school.
Liu noted that Liang has tried every means to refute the accusations against him by portraying the victims as those who had proactively seduced him.
This case came under the spotlight in April after more than 10 self-proclaimed victims exposed Liang's misconducts online, with many explicit details shocking the public.
According to an elaborate self-recounting post, Liang's offensive conducts, such as forcibly touching young men's private parts or even sexual intercourse in some occasions, had lasted for some 10 years before he was arrested.
Yang Shu is one of the victims who initiated the online campaign. He took the matter online last year after his whistleblowing to local educational authorities got no response, calling for more victims to join him.
"In the first few years after my experience, I didn't know what I could do. I remained silent as I was full of shame and ignorant of related laws. I didn't calm down until last year with much psychological support," Yang recalled.
"Later I learned that I was not the only victim. I thought since it was not just a single case, this could happen again to other students. Such wrongdoings have to be stopped," he told CGTN. He was unable to attend the court session as he is now abroad.
Yang estimates more than 20 people suffered offenses of varying degrees by Liang, but only seven of them were recognized as victims by local prosecutor, as men were not put under protection in such sexual abuse cases until recent years.
Lin Xing, one of the victims, prepares for the lawsuit by checking related information online. /CGTN
In 2015, an amendment to China's criminal law altered the victim of an "indecent assault" from "women" to "others", meaning men are also protected by law in such incidents.
"This is the first case in China that entered the criminal judicial system on the grounds that a male teacher sexually assaulted male students above 14 on a large scale," said Wan Miaoyan, the lawyer of the victims.
Wan, on behalf of the seven plaintiffs, held that the court should impose the maximum sentence upon Liang. "I expect the sentence can be 15 years," she said.
These young men hope their efforts can be an inspiration for many others, and also a warning for the whole society.
"I hope what we do to safeguard our rights can promote schools to attach importance to sex education, which can be started in primary schools," said Lin Xing, who suffered multiple offenses by Liang from 2010 to 2011.
Sex-related topics have been a taboo in Chinese society and no adequate sex education has been provided to children either in schools or families. Meanwhile, boys have been thought to be those that wouldn't be hurt by others.
Lin has actively participated in this months-long campaign. He said he felt sorry for not being able to appear in court either as a victim or witness, but he believed that justice will prevail.
"All victims should realize that it's the offenders that are shameful, not those of us who are victims. We should fight against them bravely," Lin said.
The young men's fight has won much applause from the public. And they still have a long-term goal.
"We hope that people will also be convicted on the charge of raping a man," said Lin.
Cover photo: The long-awaited case is tried in the Chengdu District People's Court in Chengdu City, November 12, 2020. /CGTN
