China: Bo verdict shows power of law is real

Yesterday, Jinan Intermediate People's court in East China's Shandong Province, handed down a verdict in the widely tracked trial of Bo Xilai. Bo was sentenced to life imprisonment, deprived of political rights for life, and relieved of all his personal property. Although Bo is not the first former senior public servant to be tried and sentenced, his trial has captured the scrutiny of public opinion, and sent a warning signal to society. Some claims, allegedly based on so-called experience, presumed that Bo would get a fixed-term imprisonment, a decade or so, and the details of his trial proceedings would not be open to the public. These statements, however, attached some non-legal elements to Bo's case, such as his former high-ranking position in the central government. The facts have proved that the proceeding of Bo's trial was not plotted, but strictly followed the law. Since last year when Neil Heywood's case was reinvestigated, China's judicial system has been run in rigid compliance of the law in the cases of Wang Lijun and Bo Xilai. All people are equal in the face of the law. This principle is the most highlighted voice cried by civilians for social justice. The will of the people has been responded to in Bo's trial, the spirit of law also being upheld. Exaggerated rumors and baseless speculation flooded public opinion when Bo was exposed one and a half years ago. Now the public trial has made the dust settle down, and has been approved by public opinion. Bo was ushered into the spotlight in his trial, in which his charges and attitudes toward these charges were clearly shown to the public. Although different opinions about the measurement of punishment were expressed after the verdict, they are just normal social responses to the trial. China's anti-corruption campaign is now being pushed by all walks of life, but it can only be run on the basis of Chinese law. Fighting corruption in accordance with the law needs rigid efforts, and Bo's trial and its verdict have greatly increased the authority and prestige of the law in Chinese society. Some people believed that Bo would never fall because of his stature and position. There were also some people convinced that Bo would receive a wild conviction. But the truth has dealt a blow to these assumptions. Bo's trial has sounded the alarm for corrupt officials, showing the resolve and confidence of the central government to carry forward the anti-corruption campaign. Such a campaign will not become empty talk.