Chinese businessman jailed 20 years in Rwanda for whipping local worker
- Sun Shujun was charged with torture after he was filmed beating a man tethered to a pole on the ground
- After the verdict, the Chinese embassy in Rwanda urged citizens living in the country to abide by local laws
A court in Rwanda sentenced a Chinese businessman to 20 years in prison for torture after he was filmed beating a local man last year.
Sun Shujun, the manager of a mine in the west of the country, had been accused of beating his workers in a case that drew attention because he was filmed whipping a man tethered to a pole on the ground.
Judge Jacques Kanyarukiga said it was clear that Sun “tortured the victims and issued corporal punishment with malicious intent, and this is a grave crime”.
A Rwandan man, Renzaho Alexis, was sentenced to 12 years for his alleged role as an accomplice in the beatings.
Sun, who was in court for the verdict, acknowledged assaulting two workers, saying he beat them because he was “frustrated and fed up of them constantly stealing minerals”.
The 43-year-old had argued for his release, saying he had compensated the two by paying a total of more than 1 million Rwandan francs (about US$1,000) and signing a “reconciliation letter”.