Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/cnforbiddennews Like us on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/chinaforbiddennews On December 27, Yongxing County Court, Hunan Province tried the case of the death of a watermelon seller. This case has drawn international attention. Four municipal security officers were convicted of intentional injury. They were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 3.5 years, to 11 years. Chinese lawyers and civilians following the case said that the convictions and sentencing given by the court were not satisfactory. Voice of America quoted Chinese rights lawyer Sui Muqing. The municipal security officers may have escaped punishment if there had been no heavy media attention. Sui Muqing said that under Chinese law, killing someone with a measuring weight should result in a death sentence. The party authority had charged those four officers for "intentional injury," so as to give light sentences. Sui believes that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had been playing tricks in the conviction from the very beginning. On the morning of July 17, Deng Zhengjia was a watermelon farmer from Linwu County, Hunan Province. Deng was involved in a quarrel with municipal security officers when selling fruit in the county town. Deng and the officers clashed, and Deng subsequently was killed. Eyewitnesses told reporters that they saw officers hitting Deng's upper face with a measuring weight. Xia Yeliang Removed From Peking University Website Renowned Chinese Professor Xia Yeliang, was dismissed by Peking University for being outspoken against the regime. Professor Xia taught his last 3-hour class in a small classroom building, concluded his 13-year career in Peking University. According to Deutsche Welle, Xia Yeliang's final class was given in a classroom with a capacity of 14 students. Twelve students attended the class. Xia said that he had lived up to the university's principals; "freedom in Ideology and incorporation of diversity" At the end of the class, a student said farewell, with "be careful, Professor". On the morning of December 27 , Xia Yeliang's information was removed from the Peking University website. This October, Xia Yeliang was notified by Peking University that his contract would not be renewed. Xia believed that the decision was a result of consistently advocating for political reforms. The university denied this was the case. Chen Hongguo Final Class Blocked by University On the same day as Xia Yeliang's final class, Chen Hongguo, a Professor at Northwest University of Politics and Law, Shaanxi Province, made an announcement on his Weibo. Chen was forced to resign last week. According to Chen, his final class scheduled on December 27 was cancelled by the university. Chen apologized to his students. Sino-Vietnam War Veterans Protest Unfair Treatment On December 25, hundreds of veterans of the Sino-Vietnam War protested in the streets in Rong County, Guangxi Province. They said the Chinese authorities had to be responsible for their difficult lives. The regime has not upheld its veteran resettlement policy. Most protesters wore green military uniforms, and walked all the way to the county government building. A large group of armed police and local police guarded the protest route.

• published: 28 Dec 2013
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