Malawi Expels Chinese Man Convicted Over Racist Videos

A magistrate’s court in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, has found Chinese national Lu Ke guilty of procuring children to take part in entertainment and racially exploiting them. It then said he should leave the country within seven days and never be allowed to return.

Lu Ke, also known as Susu in Malawi, was arrested in July last year after he had been exposed in a BBC Africa Eye investigation. The report revealed he was filming local children making personalised greeting videos, some of which included racist content.

The videos could be bought for up to $70 (£55) on Chinese social media and internet platforms.

When news of his offensive videos broke, Lu Ke fled to neighbouring Zambia when he found out that the Malawian authorities had issued a warrant for his arrest.

He was then detained in Zambia and convicted on entering the country illegally before later being extradited to Malawi.

The case in Malawi did not immediately start as authorities said they were still carrying out investigations.

Lu Ke was denied bail and remained in police custody until his sentencing on Thursday.

The court was told that Lu Ke had already paid 16m Malawi Kwacha ($16,000) to the government of Malawi.

The money is supposed to be used as compensation for his victims and for helping school children in the area of Njewa on the outskirts of Lilongwe, where Lu Ke made the videos.

The court handed him a 12-month prison sentence which it said he had already served since he has been held in police custody for the past year.

Magistrate Rodrick Michongwe also ordered Lu Ke “to leave the country within seven days and to never return to Malawi”.

Source: BBC