Zhang Xiaowei Abduction Case

• Author: Tong Jingyi et

43-year-old Zhang Xiaowei, a villager of the Fenghuang Shan neighborhood of Yunhe County, Zhejiang Province had complained about a local public restroom that impacted his living situation. In August of 2011, Zhang reached an settlement with the two local village committees, in which the village authorities paid Zhang Xiaowei a one-time compensation fee of 20,000 yuan.

However, in the morning of May 22, 2012, Zhang abducted a vice county chief named Li, and leveraged Li’s personal safety as a threat. He demanded that the village’s public restroom be demolished, among other requests. An on-site disposal group was forced to carry out the demolition of the public restroom. Afterward, Zhang demanded the demolition of the home of a fellow villager Zhang because he had had...