Almost nine years after Amanda Zhao was found dead in B.C., her former boyfriend has gone on trial in Beijing. This is the first time a crime allegedly committed on Canadian soil is being prosecuted in China.
It was announced on Monday that Ang Li would be heading to court on Tuesday in China.
Global National’s Asia correspondent Jas Johal said the trial itself is not open to the public or the media, but said Amanda Zhao’s parents and Ang Li’s parents are present during proceedings, along with a representative for the Canadian embassy.
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Johal said this case is unprecedented in the fact that the crime was allegedly committed in Canada, and the evidence was gathered by the RCMP but all of that evidence has been handed over to the Chinese who will prosecute the case in Beijing.
They are not sharing any information, such as how long the trial is expected to last, what the charges are, or what kind of evidence is being presented.
Through the people that were allowed in the courtroom, Global News learned on Tuesday that Li’s parents told the court they were quite concerned about how their son had been treated in the past couple of years as he waited for his trial.
Zhao’s parents felt there was very little remorse from Li and his parents in regards to what they believe occurred.
The Lis reportedly stormed out of court when the evidence was presented saying it shows their child was not guilty of what occurred.
If Li is convicted, he cannot be sentenced to death because the Canadian authorities laid down that stipulation when they agreed to hand over evidence, but he can be sentenced to life in prison and in China, life is life.
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