The Yunnan hide-and-seek incident () also called the 208 case (208案件) was a case where a man was taken into police custody in Jinning,

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in 2009 and mysteriously died a few days later. He was reported to have died from playing

hide and seek Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a popular children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chose ...

, though

netizen The term netizen is a portmanteau of the English words ''internet'' and '' citizen'', as in a "citizen of the net" or "net citizen". It describes a person actively involved in online communities or the Internet in general.

s claim he was beaten to death by the police.Sina.com.cn.
Sina.com.cn
" ''云南警方通报躲猫猫事件称李玩游戏发生意外.'' Retrieved on 2009-06-20. The case was later closed with three suspects receiving different sentences.Chinareviewnews.com.

" ''“躲貓貓”宣判：死者家屬獲6萬元賠償.'' Retrieved on 2009-08-15.

Incident

Li Qiaoming (李荞明), aged 24, of

Yuxi Yuxi () is a prefecture-level city in the central part of Yunnan province of the People's Republic of China. The administrative center of Yuxi is Hongta District. Yuxi is approximately south of Kunming. Geography Yuxi is located in the center ...

city, was taken into custody in Jinning county on January 30, 2009 for cutting trees without authorization. He was hospitalized on February 8, and died four days later from severe brain injuries.English.people.com.cn.
English.people.com.cn
" ''Netizens join probe into "hide-and-seek" prison death in China's Yunnan .'' Retrieved on 2009-06-20. According to Jinning police bureau, Li died while playing

Peekaboo Peekaboo (also spelled peek-a-boo) is a form of play played with an infant. To play, one player hides their face, pops back into the view of the other, and says ''Peekaboo!'', sometimes followed by ''I see you!'' There are many variations: for ...

(躲猫猫), a game similar to

hide-and-seek Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a popular children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chose ...

.163.com.
Netease.com
" ''云南男子死在看守所民警称其玩"躲猫猫"撞到墙.'' Retrieved on 2009-06-20. They claimed an inmate reacted angrily when Li found his hiding spot during the game. Li was then pushed and struck a wall as he fell. The incident then appeared in local newspapers in

Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...

on February 13.

Investigation

Thousands of netizens responded and said Li died from police beatings. Rather than suppress the accusations, the province officials invited the public to help solve the case. Out of 1000 volunteers, a 15-person committee visited the crime scene.Taipeitimes.com.
Taipeitimes.com
" ''Yunnan police seek to quell criticism with public probe.'' Retrieved on 2009-06-20. The committee members were given access to the crime scene but were not allowed to view

surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as c ...

tapes Tape or Tapes may refer to: Material A long, narrow, thin strip of material (see also Ribbon (disambiguation): Adhesive tapes * Adhesive tape, any of many varieties of backing materials coated with an adhesive * Athletic tape, pressure-sensiti ...

, examine the

autopsy An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...

report, or question the guards. They were also not permitted to interview the prime suspect, Pǔ Huá-yǒng (). After disclosing the identities of the volunteers, netizens later found out nearly all the “randomly selected” investigators were current or former employees of the state-run media. The outcome is uncertain.

Court case

The case was closed with three other prison suspects receiving different sentences. Zhāng Hòuhuá () received

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

. Zhang Tāo () received 17 years of prison time and a fine of 1000 yuan. Pǔ Huáyǒng () received 16 years of prison time.

External links

Sina.com (a section dedicated to the event)

References

{{reflist 2009 in China Police brutality in China

Incident

Investigation

Court case

See also

External links

References