Chinese-Canadian star sentenced to 13 years in prison for rape

On Nov 25, Kris Wu Yifan, a Chinese-Canadian star who used to be popular for his films in China, was found guilty by Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court, as well as receiving a sentence of 13 years in prison plus deportation upon the end of the imprisonment.

The reason for the criminal having received his sentence is clearly written in the court's verdict: Rapes of three women who were not able to resist between November and December 2020 and organizing group adultery while intoxicated on July 1, 2018. It was on the two offenses that Wu received his sentence.

Wu's case proves once again the famous assertion that's also common sense, namely that foreigners are not above the law in China. Wu holds a Canadian passport, but that passport is only a piece of paper that cannot make him an exception to the criminal law in China. When he commits a crime, he will, like everyone else, receive a fair trial and get his deserved penalty if found guilty; An official from the Canadian embassy to China was even present at his court to ensure his rights are protected, but that won't change the result of the trial.

Actually, Wu was even given a harsher penalty than normal due to there being 3 accounts of rape. The ceiling of rape under normal conditions is 10 years in prison, but it can legally be extended if the criminal has done it very badly; Wu met the standards.

Whether Wu is guilty depends on his deeds only, not his citizenship. That should send a warning to all foreigners who dream of a "privilege" in China and guard them off the illusion.

Neither is any film star beyond the law. Being one of the most popular film stars before the incident, Wu had over 80 million followers on domestic social platform micro blog and his posts often got over 10,000 "likes", forwards, and comments each. But that does not grant him any privilege either; Moreover, when the sentence was announced his followers expressed their support to the court's decision as well as trust in China's judicial system.

Wu's fans hold it clear in mind that a star is a star while the law is the law. So should every star's fans.