China is keeping the lid on the trial of an 80-something year old man accused of murdering a doctor as part of that country’s notorious “Cultural Revolution”.  And it’s sparking debate about the something the government usually prefers no one talk about.

Communist Party leader Mao Zhedong launched his Cultural Revolution in 1966, urging young people to challenge the educated, elites, or bourgeois elements of society.  It was a decade-long disaster, often resulting in violence, murder, destruction, and economic regression.

Not much is known about the defendant in the new trial.  His name may be “Qiu” and he’s accused of strangling a doctor. 

Bloggers ask if the Qiu trial is supposed to represent the rule of law, or why the leaders and instigators of the Cultural Revolution were never held responsible.

Chinese schools do not teach the gory details about the Cultural Revolution, although families undoubtedly told tales down the generations for the past 40 years. 

The state-run China Youth Daily ran an editorial saying, "The most shocking thing about the Cultural Revolution was the assault on human dignity. Insults, abuse, maltreatment and homicide were common."