Chongqing gang trials

The Chongqing gang trials (Chinese: 重庆打黑除恶专项行动; pinyin: Chóngqìng dǎ hēi chú ě zhuānxiàng xíngdòng; literally "Targeted actions against dark and evil forces in Chongqing") were a series of gang-busting trials in the city of Chongqing beginning in October 2009. Carried out under the auspices of municipal Communist Party chief Bo Xilai, 1,544 suspects were arrested in the months leading up the trials, including nineteen suspected gang leaders, hundreds of gang members, and a number of allegedly corrupt police, government and Communist party officials, including six district police chiefs and the city’s deputy police commissioner, Wen Qiang.^[1] Time described it as "China’s trial of the 21st century".^[2] The crackdown is believed to be the largest of its kind in the history of the People's Republic of China.