On August 26, the Hainan Province Haikou City Intermediate People's Court rendered a second-instance judgment on the case involving a criminal syndicate composed of 8 people, including Liu.
Upon review, it was determined that from 2020 to 2024, the appellant Liu and seven others, under the organization of others, smuggled themselves into the Wa State region of Myanmar and formed a criminal group consisting of hundreds of members. This criminal group utilized information networks to carry out extortion and blackmail activities against over a thousand victims in China. Those who did not cooperate were openly exposed to their relatives and friends with naked photos and insulting messages, severely harming the dignity of citizens and their property safety. The criminal activities caused a negative social impact, and the amount of money involved was extremely large.
On May 9, 2026, the original Meilan District People's Court of Haikou City made a first-instance judgment based on the criminal facts, nature, circumstances of each defendant, and the degree of social harm. Liu and seven other individuals were convicted of extortion, affray, and border crossing offenses. The judgment imposed varying sentences ranging from twelve years and six months to ten years and three months on each of the eight defendants.
During the second-instance trial, the Haikou Intermediate People's Court comprehensively reviewed the facts of the case, evidence, and the reasons for the appeal. It concluded that the original judgment was correct in determining the criminal facts to be clear, the evidence to be reliable and sufficient, the application of laws to be proper, and the sentencing to be appropriate. The trial procedures were legal. Therefore, the court made a final ruling to reject the appeal and uphold the original judgment according to the law.
The lawful handling of cases reflects the judicial authorities' firm stance of "zero tolerance" towards crimes committed by cross-border cyber evil forces, and demonstrates a clear attitude of severe punishment and elimination of evil. It not only effectively targets criminal activities such as extortion that violate property and personal rights, but also maintains national sovereignty and order in managing entry and exit through legal determination and punishment of crimes related to crossing national borders. This fully reflects the legal principle that "the dignity of national borders cannot be violated, cyberspace must not be contaminated, and the interests of the public must not be damaged," effectively deterring overseas criminals.
