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Wang Bin, commentator of Chao News Client

Image source: Screenshot of the official WeChat account of Yancheng District Court of Luohe City, Henan Province

On August 12, the People's Court of Yancheng District, Luohe City, Henan Province, released a notice on its WeChat official account stating that on the evening of August 7, Wang Jiajia, deputy director of the case filing court and first-level judge of the court, was killed in revenge by the criminal suspect Dang Moumou. The notice also stated that the suspect committed the crime in revenge because he was dissatisfied with the verdict. When he was arrested, he took poison out of fear of crime and was sent to the hospital. He was not in danger of life. The People's Court of Yancheng District, Luohe City, Henan Province expressed deep condolences and great regret for the unfortunate death of Judge Wang Jiajia, expressed deep condolences to her family, and expressed great indignation and strong condemnation of the criminal act of killing the judge handling the case.

In the TV series "Bottom Line", there is such a plot: Judge Fang Yuan, played by Jin Dong, repeatedly rejected the request of a distant relative to use the back door, and then on the way home from get off work, he was stabbed by this distant relative, but fortunately his life was not in danger. Some people say that the prototype of this story is the assassination of a judge of the Hunan High Court in January 2021, but this judge was not as lucky as Fang Yuan, and she lost her life forever.

Now, the thing we least want to see has happened again: the female judge in Henan was unfortunately killed. There is no second chance in life, and life cannot be restarted. Every upright and kind person, a society that believes in the rule of law and civilization as its foundation, cannot tolerate such extreme violence, cannot tolerate "judicial robes stained with blood", and the personal safety of judges being wantonly touched and trampled.

People's judges are the enforcers of the law, the defenders of the law, and the defenders of fairness and justice for the people. They are always on the front line of justice for the country and the people. Due to the particularity and complexity of their work, it is easy for them to fall into "right and wrong" and become the target of public criticism. The more this happens, the more we must protect them.

Regardless of the reason, any behavior that hurts judges not only hurts the rights and dignity of judges, but also shows contempt for the legal order and a provocation to judicial authority, which will only bring shame to justice and humiliate the rule of law. If there are grievances, disputes and demands, they can be resolved in a rational and civilized manner through reasonable and legal means and channels within the framework of morality and law. Why must we go to extremes? This kind of violent provocation is like a cancer that erodes the social fabric and eats away at the foundation of the rule of law. The "aftereffects" that may be left on society should not be underestimated. If judicial personnel lack a sense of security, how can they perform their duties in accordance with the law with peace of mind? I am afraid there is no way to talk about maintaining judicial justice.

The legal red line has long been drawn regarding the protection of judges' rights and interests. my country's Judges Law stipulates that the professional dignity and personal safety of judges are protected by law. No unit or individual may retaliate against judges and their immediate family members. Those who retaliate against judges and their immediate family members, insult and slander, commit violent acts, threaten and intimidate, or cause trouble and harassment, shall be severely punished in accordance with the law.

After that, what awaits this criminal suspect is the strict, severe and prompt punishment of the law. This is also the strong appeal of the society and the people. Let the people feel fairness and justice from the handling of the judge murder case; form a strong deterrent to lawbreakers and illegal acts, so that they dare not cross the line; strengthen professional protection, so that the judge group can be under an effective safety protection shield, can work with peace of mind, fully perform their duties, and do not need to worry about safety issues. These are urgent social propositions, and should also be the commitment and pursuit, value and mission of the law.

In particular, the sentence written in black and white in the legal provisions, "When a judge or his immediate family members are in danger of personal safety due to the performance of their duties in accordance with the law, the people's court and the public security organ shall take necessary protective measures such as personal protection and prohibition of contact with specific persons for the judge and his immediate family members", should be implemented in actual actions without compromise and shine into every corner of reality. In addition, there must be a mechanism to thoroughly investigate and identify the dangers and hidden dangers that judicial personnel and their families may encounter, so as to eliminate hidden dangers in the bud and prevent tragedies from happening again.

Judges' safety and people's safety, judges' justice and people's justice are essentially "communities" that are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. Protecting judges' "sense of security" is also protecting the people's "sense of security", and defending people's justice is also a prerequisite for maintaining judges' justice. Only by taking these two points into account at the same time can the social atmosphere of respecting the law, respecting judges and defending the rule of law be strong, and become the civilized consciousness and moral adherence of more people, and the rule of law concept and spirit of "trial is not to avenge evil, but to boost good" can be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and make the rule of law a common belief of the whole society.

Ensure the personal safety of judges, safeguard justice and the rule of law, and defend the authority of the rule of law. There are no "outsiders" and everyone is a stakeholder.

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