A friend shared an article from The Economist, May 4:
"AS A (sic)teenager during China’s Cultural Revolution, Zhang Hongbing provided the tip that led to his own mother’s execution.
Mr Zhang remembers the events well. It was the evening of February 13th 1970. His mother had expressed private doubts about Mao Zedong’s leadership and voiced support for purged officials. Outraged, Mr Zhang left the house alongside his father to inform on her. The pair returned to discover his mother ripping posters of Mao from the wall. Mr Zhang beat her and his father asked him to tie her up with rope before authorities arrived to arrest her. In a report Mr Zhang personally recommended that she receive the death penalty. His mother was later shot at a public trial.
The 15-year-old boy was commended as a model Red Guard. More than four decades later Mr Zhang says he felt no remorse at the time but now admits to 'painful, suicidal' feelings."
"AS A (sic)teenager during China’s Cultural Revolution, Zhang Hongbing provided the tip that led to his own mother’s execution.
Mr Zhang remembers the events well. It was the evening of February 13th 1970. His mother had expressed private doubts about Mao Zedong’s leadership and voiced support for purged officials. Outraged, Mr Zhang left the house alongside his father to inform on her. The pair returned to discover his mother ripping posters of Mao from the wall. Mr Zhang beat her and his father asked him to tie her up with rope before authorities arrived to arrest her. In a report Mr Zhang personally recommended that she receive the death penalty. His mother was later shot at a public trial.
The 15-year-old boy was commended as a model Red Guard. More than four decades later Mr Zhang says he felt no remorse at the time but now admits to 'painful, suicidal' feelings."
