Ex-defence ministers, Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe both sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, among the most severe sentences in a years-long purge
Two former Chinese defence ministers were given suspended death sentences for bribery on Thursday, after being convicted by China’s military court, in some of the most severe punishments to be handed down in a years-long purge of the military.
Chinese state media Xinhua announced on Thursday that Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe were both sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, meaning that their sentences will probably be commuted to life imprisonment if Li and Wei demonstrate good behaviour.
Xinhua said that no further parole would be allowed, and that the two men were stripped of their political rights for life and all of their personal property. The sentences are expected to serve as a warning to other generals in the armed forces that even seniority and connections can not serve as a protection from purges.
Li was defence minister for seven months in 2023. His predecessor was Wei, who served in that post for five years.
