Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Third Day of the Trial, Defamation Hearing!
"Today, the Second Criminal Court of the Jin City Court is holding a public trial for the defamation case brought by plaintiff Qin Mu against defendant Han Suiyue and 60 others."
In the courtroom, Zhou Quanmin looked at the densely packed 56 defendants below and took a deep breath.
He struck the gavel.
"BANG—"
"The court is now officially in session!"
He scanned the crowd below. Once again, according to procedure, he announced the court rules.
"All personnel must obey the commands of the Judgment Chief or the sole presiding judge during court proceedings. They must also respect judicial etiquette and adhere to court discipline.
First, no clapping or loud talking.
Second, no smoking or eating.
Third, no making or answering phone calls.
...
Sixth, no recording, videotaping, photographing, or using mobile communication devices to disseminate court activities.
Seventh, no endangering court safety or disrupting court order.
Eighth, no insulting, defaming, threatening, or assaulting judicial staff or litigation participants.
Ninth, do not—"
As Zhou Quanmin read the eighth rule, his right cheek twitched imperceptibly. These defendants... were really not making things easy. He had a particularly strong memory of Liang Shuqi from yesterday, who not only argued in court but also openly cursed him, demanding, "What good are you?!"
"I issue a stern warning once more. Those who violate the above court discipline will be subject to detention or a warning by this court according to the relevant laws. If a crime has been constituted, their criminal responsibility will be pursued in accordance with the law!"
After reciting for five minutes, the court discipline was reiterated.
Zhou Quanmin turned his gaze to Qin Mu and said, "The plaintiff will now read the complaint."
This was a private prosecution case. The plaintiff was Qin Mu himself, not a public prosecutor.
In the plaintiff’s seat, Qin Mu immediately stood up and said, "On the 22nd of this month, due to the widespread distribution of an internet video, I was slandered, accused, condemned, berated, and cursed by many people. Its dissemination was extremely widespread, causing me great harm and distress."
"These individuals have seriously violated my rights to privacy, personal dignity, and reputation. The severity of the circumstances constitutes the crime of defamation."
"I hereby request the court to try these 60 individuals in accordance with the law, determine their criminal responsibility, and deliver justice to the victim."
These contents... were all from his written complaint, mainly detailing the incident and his litigation requests. As for compensation from these 60 trolls... truth be told, he didn’t want a single penny. He just wanted to send all these brazen, fearless internet trolls to jail!
As soon as his words finished, the 56 defendants in the dock looked extremely grim.
Qin Mu’s complaint mentioned 60 people, but in reality, only 56 were summoned to court. The remaining four, like Yang Minghui previously, did not attend the trial. They hadn’t even hired lawyers. Since no legal fees had been paid, Zhang Wei certainly wouldn’t defend these four.
At the front of the courtroom, Zhou Quanmin accepted Qin Mu’s complaint and the evidence he had personally gathered, then looked towards the 56 seated defendants.
He said in a deep voice, "Next, the defendants will select a representative to present their plea."
Logically speaking, this part of the proceedings required each defendant to participate. But Qin Mu had ruthlessly sued so many people. If each of them were to respond individually, this segment alone would likely last until evening.
Han Suiyue and the others exchanged glances upon hearing this. They turned around as if by unspoken agreement and looked toward Zhang Wei at their side. This was something Zhang Wei had instructed them on beforehand: except for the final closing statements, their lawyer would handle all other proceedings.
Zhang Wei took a deep breath and said in a heavy tone, "Your Honor."
"My clients indeed posted many negative comments online, causing the plaintiff much trouble and harm."
"However, after the incident occurred, my clients have come to recognize their errors and have begun to deeply reflect on their behavior, filled with regret."
"They are willing to actively plead guilty and cooperate with the court’s proceedings. They will investigate the truth of the matter thoroughly, ensure fairness and justice for both sides, and make amends to the plaintiff."
"It is our hope that the court, considering the lapse in judgment of these 56 individuals, will grant them an opportunity to reform."
In this defense phase, to lay the groundwork for a more lenient sentence, he first emphasized their willingness to plead guilty, cooperate with the investigation, and attributed their actions to a temporary lapse in judgment. This was an attempt to downplay the severity of the incident and avoid associating it with cyberbullying.
Zhou Quanmin and the other judges listened thoughtfully.
"BANG—"
Afterward, the gavel struck.
The solemn sound resonated throughout the courtroom.
"We will now proceed to the cross-examination of evidence. The plaintiff and the prosecution will present their evidence first."
Zhou Quanmin continued to preside over the trial.
Wang Dachui and the prosecution immediately presented the evidence they had gathered online. This evidence consisted of screenshots of video comments and like counts on one hand, and official internal data provided by the platform on the other, which ensured its authenticity. This guaranteed that metrics such as clicks, views, plays, and comments were not maliciously manipulated. This was a crucial step in carefully substantiating a charge of online defamation. Otherwise, there was a high risk of malicious individuals falsely implicating others by inflating likes and views, potentially leading to wrongful convictions.
"Do the defendants have any objections to the evidence presented by the plaintiff and the prosecution?"
After the evidence presentation concluded, Zhou Quanmin once again looked at the 56 defendants.
Han Suiyue and the others swallowed hard. This data... it wasn’t significantly different from their recollection of the likes. Furthermore, it detailed each individual’s ID and the specific comments they had posted.
"We have no objections."
While they were still dazed, Zhang Wei readily acknowledged the evidence. This evidence, having been notarized by the prosecution and public notary offices, was undeniably ironclad. There was absolutely no room for dispute.
"Since the defense has no objections, the court will now proceed to try each of the 60 individuals implicated in this case," Zhou Quanmin nodded. He picked up the first file from his desk and said, "The plaintiff accuses Han Suiyue, whose username on a certain platform is ’Tonight Fighting Tigers’, of posting the comment: ’Delivery guys work themselves to death every day to deliver food to people like you. I hope people who leave bad reviews like you never get to enjoy a four-course meal in their entire lives.’"
"The comment received 18,237 likes on the platform."
"Its dissemination was remarkably widespread."
"Does the defense have any objections to this evidence?"
In the defendants’ dock, Han Suiyue swallowed hard, his heart lurched. He hadn’t expected... that he would be the first one tried! It seemed the court was proceeding based on the number of likes, from most to least. His comment, with 18,237 likes, was undoubtedly the highest among them all!