The case riveted the public’s attention in China and spotlighted the patchy enforcement of the country’s law against domestic violence. …
A court in China gave the death penalty to a man who murdered his ex-wife while she was livestreaming, a case that shocked the country and ignited calls for better safeguards against domestic abuse.
The man, Tang Lu, committed “utterly cruel” criminal acts, the court in Sichuan Province said in Thursday’s verdict, which was handed down after a one-day hearing, according to official news reports.
The case had drawn intense attention in China, where the legal system has been criticized for failing to protect women from domestic violence, even after they seek help.
Mr. Tang’s ex-wife, Lhamo, 30, had done that repeatedly before September last year, when he doused her with gasoline and set her ablaze while she was streaming on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
a law against domestic violence in 2016. But penalties are minimal, and women say restraining orders are rarely enforced. More than 900 women have died at the hands of their husbands or partners since the law was enacted, according to Beijing Equality, a women’s rights group.
A screenshot from Lhamo’s Douyin, the Chinese version of the TikTok app.
Mr. Tang’s wife was Tibetan, and like many people from her region, she used only one name. Ms. Lhamo was born into poverty and wed Mr. Tang in 2009. He beat her repeatedly during their quarrels, the court said, and the couple divorced in March of last
