Tue Apr 22 16:33:28 UTC 2025: **Former Xinjiang Official Receives Suspended Death Sentence for $112 Million in Bribes**
Beijing, China (April 23, 2025) – A former high-ranking Chinese official, Li Pengxin, has been handed a suspended death sentence for accepting $112 million in bribes, a court in Baoji, Shaanxi province announced yesterday. Li, who served as deputy secretary of the Communist Party committee in Xinjiang from 2016 to 2021, amassed the enormous sum through bribery related to mineral exploitation, business operations, and cadre appointments between 1999 and 2023. While the court deemed his crimes “especially grave,” the execution was suspended due to his confession and cooperation with investigators. His life sentence, however, will not be commuted.
Li’s tenure in Xinjiang coincided with increased surveillance and control targeting Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. This period has been marked by accusations of human rights abuses from international rights groups, allegations China vehemently denies. The timing of Li’s conviction falls within President Xi Jinping’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign, a campaign that critics suggest serves to eliminate political opponents.
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