The trial of Gu Kailai for the murder of a British businessman is being hailed in China as a model of openness. The state-owned newspaper, Global Times, says the court appearance this week of the wife of Bo Xilai, the disgraced Communist party “princeling”, will strengthen public confidence in the country’s legal system. This might have been the case if the process had indeed been open and transparent. It was not.
Too many questions remain unanswered in the stage-managed trial. There were no witnesses called to the stand, apart from a forensics expert. Ms Gu, who reportedly confessed to the crime, was denied the use of her family’s chosen lawyer and made to accept an advocate designated by the party. Two British diplomats and a representative of the murdered man’s family were present, but the general public and international press were not allowed to watch the proceedings. The details of what was said for and against the defendant are scant, dictated to most media by the official press release and often repeated verbatim. Even if the guilty verdict that most expect is the right one, Ms Gu’s fate appears to have been sealed even before the court opened its doors. Far from reinforcing confidence in the courts, the trial highlights the continued failings of China’s judicial system.
The show trial of Ms Gu may in fact turn out to be less about her alleged crimes than about stage-managing a smooth leadership transition for the Communist party in the autumn.