In recent years, the rise of online mass protests targeting high-profile criminal cases has become a prominent social phenomenon in China. In this study, I explore how the Chinese Government responds to netizens as well as how public opinion via the internet influences the administration of criminal justice within the Chinese context. By drawing on publicly available data online, I analyze the Deng Yujiao case to demonstrate how online public opinion can affect the judicial decision of a sensational case. I conclude that the rise of public participation promoted by the internet adds democratic elements to the Chinese criminal justice system by providing a means to monitor the exercise of governmental power and protect the rights of the disadvantaged.
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