China Exclusive: Woman stands trial for killing abusive husband

A woman stood trial in Yunnan Province on Friday accused of killing her abusive husband, in a case that has shone a light on domestic violence in China.

The woman, surnamed Zhang, admitted to killing her husband while he was asleep in April 2015. She surrendered to police afterwards.

Zhang was charged with manslaughter, but won widespread sympathy from the public.

She claimed she had been beaten by her husband for years, even during her pregnancy.

Zhang's lawyer pled for leniency, saying the killing was "on impulse and in protest against violence."

Zhang admitted to hitting her drunken, sleeping husband in the face with a hammer and a spanner before stabbing him more than 40 times in the chest and belly with a knife. "I just wanted revenge for all the violence I suffered over the years. I felt I could no longer live unless he died," she said.

The couple's 10-year-old daughter is likely to be sent to an orphanage if no family members step in to take her.

A ruling is expected at a later date.

Friday's hearing, at the Intermediate People's Court in Chuxiong Prefecture, drew a large audience including judges and procurators from the Supreme People's Court (SPC) and local courts, social workers from women's federations, as well as law students.

Chen Min, a researcher with the China Institute of Applied Law, appeared in court as an expert witness for the defendant.

Chen is familiar with psychology, law as well as social and family issues, domestic violence in particular.

She testified to Zhang's years of suffering and psychological state.

The rare presence of an expert witness in a Chinese court for a domestic violence case is a sign of legal progress, particularly since the national anti-domestic violence law took effect on March 1.

SPC judge Song Ying said expert witnesses could fill gaps where judges lack professional knowledge.

Expert witnesses have a major role to play in lawsuits involving domestic violence and particularly sexual assaults, said Song. "Because it is very difficult to collect evidence in these cases: damages done to the victims are often invisible, rarely fatal and therefore often neglected."

According to an official survey, nearly a quarter of Chinese women have been victims of domestic violence. This means that in the country of 1.3 billion people, domestic violence exists in nearly 90 million households. Endi