Regarding Frank Ching's June 5 article, "Suspect in stabbing death a national hero": The fact that a country's legal system is not perfect is by no means an excuse to replace rule of law with rule of anger. Personally, I have great sympathy for the waitress Miss Deng Yujiao and much antipathy for the officials who intended to abuse her sexually, but I'm in no position to support the involvement of public anger into legal procedures, as this runs counter to due process and might result in an unfair trial.
Though not a law professional, I have read from many Chinese news reports that the requirement for a justifiable defense under China's criminal law is far stricter than under the laws of many other countries, a fact that in recent years has ignited heated debate among experts.
A possibility of revision cannot be ruled out, but before that happens, the current stipulation is the only standard on which a rational conclusion can be reached. It's courageous for journalists to disclose all the facts for the sake of transparency, but it's necessary for commentators to keep a distance from legal affairs for the sake of procedural justice.