NZ Cult Leader Gets 10 Years in Death, Kidnapping Case
Was justice served or does this demand deeper systemic reform?
Above: High Court in Auckland, New Zealand, on Feb. 21, 2020. Image credit: Greg Bowker/Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
Kaixiao Liu ran a house of horrors disguised as a religious community, where a 70-year-old woman was restrained, denied food and water and died alone before being dumped in a creek. The heavy sentence handed down by Justice Downs reflects the severity of this crime, as well as the zero-tolerance stance of New Zealand authorities towards instances of abuse such as this.
Narrative B
This terrible case should highlight the danger cults pose. Across New Zealand, there are roughly 50,000 current or former cult members, underscoring the scale of this threat. Without urgent government action, including an anti-cult agency or legal recognition of coercive control as a crime, it will only be a matter of time before another victim becomes the next Shulai Wang.