Detained boy's request for apology refused

The local government in Gansu province rejected the claims of a middle-school student who wanted an apology as well as compensation after he was arrested for spreading online rumors, Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

Yang Niuhu, father of the boy, said he will bring the case to court, the report said.

The 16-year-old student, Yang Hui, was given a seven-day administrative detention in September last year for spreading untrue information through the Internet after he posted online questioning about the death of a local man.

After his release, he said he was beaten in the detention house. He asked police to pay compensation of seven yuan ($1.14) and publicly apologize via a local lawyer in November.

His father, Yang Niuhu, said he did not think his son had done anything wrong.

But on Jan 9, local police put aside all of Yang's requests, saying they had not made any mistakes in the case, and that Yang had indeed spread a rumor online.

Yang also was dismissed by his school after he was detained by police.

The case triggered a public outcry among many netizens, who accused the government abusing its powers.