China court suspends death sentence for Bo Xilai’s wife

A Chinese court suspended the death sentence of Gu Kailai, the wife of disgraced political leader Bo Xilai, on August 20. She was found guilty of murdering British businessman Neil Heywood in a case that has rocked the Communist party ahead of a 10-yearly power handover. The case brought down her husband Bo, a charismatic but divisive politician, and exposed deep divisions in the ruling Communist party before a generational handover of power due to start later this year. Bo had been tipped for promotion to the elite group of party leaders that effectively rules China until the allegations against his wife burst into the open, but is now under investigation for corruption. Gu confessed to killing 41-year-old Heywood by pouring poison down his throat, saying that he had threatened her son after a business deal went sour. Gu’s reported psychological problems led to the suspension.

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