Parents of Tsinghua student poisoned in 1994 call for fresh investigation

Chinese prosecutors recently accepted an application to examine irregularities in the police investigation of an unsolved poisoning case that has attracted public attention for nearly three decades.

Zhu Ling, a chemistry student at Tsinghua University in Beijing, began experiencing symptoms of poisoning from the heavy metal thallium in late 1994. She was left paralyzed with brain damage, and required 24-hour care from her parents.

Nobody has ever been charged in the case, but public speculation over one of Zhu's college roommates — who was investigated by police and eventually released due to a lack of evidence — remains intense. Zhu's death at the age of 50 in December last year sparked a wave of condolence and calls for the investigation of the case to be reopened.