Death sentence for fatal stabbings at coronavirus roadblock in China
- Man killed two officials with a pocket knife as they tried to stop him bypassing checkpoint in Yunnan province
- Killings were man’s second serious offence in five years
A court in the southwestern province of Yunnan handed down the death sentence to 23-year-old Ma Jianguo on Sunday for the stabbings on February 6.
“Ma ignored national laws when Yunnan was at the most critical stage of a public health emergency. [He] ignored virus control policies, leading to the serious consequence of the lives of two people being taken away. Such behaviour is considered intentional murder,” the Intermediate People’s Court in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture said in a statement.
Ma was travelling in his car with a passenger between townships when they were stopped at the roadblock, according to the court.
The passenger got out of the car to remove the roadblock so the vehicle could go through, refusing to obey official warnings not to do so.
County official Zhang Guizhou took out his phone to film the two for refusing to comply with the government’s arrangements and Ma then took out a pocket knife and stabbed Zhang multiple times in the chest.
