BEFORE YOU READ:
- Zambia police arrest Chinese national accused of paying kids to say ‘I am a Black monster’ for videos
- Exposé on Chinese national’s racist videos exploiting children puts pressure on Malawi government
- ‘Don’t take advantage of us’: Malawians protest Chinese national’s racist exploitation of kids
- Chinese man accused of exploiting children for racist videos extradited to Malawi
- Chinese man accused of exploiting Malawian children charged with human trafficking, denied bail
A Chinese man who made global headlines for paying Malawian children to appear in racist videos has been convicted of multiple charges and banned from the African country for life.
Background: Lu Ke, 27, who also goes by Susu, was first exposed in a BBC Africa Eye documentary that dove into the sale of videos that featured Black children chanting racist remarks. In one video, the children can be seen and heard chanting “I am a Black monster” and “My IQ is low” in Chinese.
Lu Ke allegedly paid the children half a dollar to star in the videos, which were then sold on Chinese social media. He reportedly made up to 380 videos a day and sold each of them for up to $70.
Amid public outrage, Lu Ke illegally fled to neighboring Zambia. However, he was extradited quickly and formally charged with multiple offenses in Malawi.
The latest: On Thursday, a Malawian court found Lu Ke guilty of his charges, including child trafficking and procurement of children for use of entertainment. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison and ordered to leave the country afterward.
Lu Ke faced a total of 14 charges, which also included illegal use of the internet and harmful social practices. Having already served 12 months in police custody, Lu Ke was immediately immediately released but must leave Malawi in seven days and never return.
