Local media addresses key public concerns over 14-year-old girl violently beaten in SW China’s Jiangyou, following police statement by Global Times Aug 06 2025

江油事件，你看到的未必是全部真相。无法无天的未成年，我未成年，我无敌！
https://youtu.be/8eea_cdp9jo?si=GWdxqTg6vMZC7Wrj

A recent video showing a minor being verbally abused and physically assaulted off-campus in Jiangyou, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, has sparked widespread public concern. On Wednesday, the local official media outlet published a follow-up report addressing key public concerns related to the incident, following a police statement that was issued on Monday.

According to the police investigation, in the afternoon of July 22, Liu (female, 15-year-old) got into a conflict with Lai (female, 14-year-old). Liu then conspired with another student surnamed Liu (female, 13-year-old) and Peng (female, 14-year-old) to verbally abuse, threaten, and physically assault Lai in an unoccupied area of a building in Jiangyou, the police said on Monday.

The public security authorities have imposed administrative penalties on the three abusers and the remaining onlookers were given formal reprimands, and their guardians were ordered to strengthen supervision.

Meanwhile, two of the abusers, the 15-year-old Liu and 14-year-old Peng, will be sent to a specialized school for corrective education according to China’s law on the prevention of juvenile crimes, police said.

Following the release of the police statement, and in response to public concerns – including why it took more than ten days to take action after the victim’s initial report to the police, whether the suspect’s claim of being released within 20 minutes after being taken to the police station multiple times was true, and whether the penalties imposed were too lenient – the Fujiang Observer, a local official media outlet under the Mianyang Daily, published a follow-up report addressing these issues.

The report provided a timeline of events following the police report filed by the victim. At around 10 pm on July 22, Lai reported the assault at a police station of the Jiangyou Public Security Bureau, accompanied by her father.

The case was accepted on the spot, and Lai was taken to a hospital for examination. After receiving medical treatment, she returned to the station to cooperate with the investigation and evidence collection, said the report.

In the early hours of July 23, two suspects, Liu and Peng, arrived at the police station for questioning. Based on the preliminary investigation, public security authorities determined the case to be one of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a public security offense, and informed Lai and her father of the decision on the same day, the Fujiang Observer reported.

Between July 24 and August 3, the police station summoned and investigated all individuals involved and witnesses, while also commissioning a medical injury assessment.

On August 3, in accordance with relevant regulations – which stipulate that injury assessments must be conducted after clinical treatment concludes or the injury has stabilized, typically one to two weeks after the incident – a forensic doctor carried out the evaluation after ruling out any concealed fractures during a follow-up examination. The assessment concluded that Lai’s injuries were minor.

Based on the injury assessment and the earlier investigation, public security authorities issued administrative penalties on August 4 in accordance with the law.

The media report on Wednesday also addressed claims made by the suspects, who allegedly said she had been taken to the police station more than ten times and released within twenty minutes each time.

Citing sources from the case-handling personnel, the report clarified that Liu, one of the suspects involved in the assault, had only one prior record of being brought to the police station for mediation due to a dispute. The claims made by Peng and Liu were intentionally exaggerated in an attempt to intimidate the victim, as they were concerned the victim might report the incident to the police.

Regarding concerns over whether the punishment was too lenient, a lawyer told the Fujiang Observer that, according to Article 26 of the Law on Penalties for Administration of Public Security, the police imposed the penalty within the range of maximum penalties allowed by law.

The report added that authorities have begun procedures to send the offenders to a specialized correctional school. “These schools provide targeted corrective education for minors with serious misconduct, focusing on tiered management, legal education, and psychological counseling,” the lawyer explained.

The Fujiang Observer said the individuals involved in the assault, along with their parents, have apologized to the victim. The victim’s family expressed their gratitude for the public’s concern and said, “We kindly ask everyone to stop sharing the video to avoid causing further harm to our child. We just want to return to a normal life.”

Chinese lawmakers voted in June to adopt a revised version of the Law on Penalties for Administration of Public Security at a session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), Xinhua News Agency reported.

This move comes amid growing public concern over rising juvenile delinquency, particularly involving serious violent crimes committed by younger minors, said the Xinhua report.

According to the Supreme People’s Procuratorate’s 2025 work report, prosecutors indicted 57,000 juvenile offenders in 2024, including 34 younger minors involved in serious violent crimes, per Xinhua report.

To respond to this trend, the revised law makes adjustments to existing rules that exempted minors from detention. It now stipulates detention of juveniles aged 14 to 18 in cases where a first offense is particularly serious or harmful, or when those aged 14 to 16 commit repeated violations within a year.

Alongside targeted and tougher penalties, the revised law also underscores prevention and rehabilitation.