近来，朱令案再次引发热议。先是白宫请愿事件，再到昨日北京警方宣布最终结果。相信唯有公开才能给这位昔日天之骄子一个迟到的正义。

An unsolved case of poisoning nearly two decades old has hit the headlines again after a petition posted on the White House website named a suspect and called for her to be extradited to China.

白宫网站上近日出现了一份请愿书，网民们要求将发生在近二十年前的朱令被投毒案嫌疑人驱逐出境并引渡回中国。这使得这桩至今仍未水落石出的投毒案再次成为媒体头条。

The petition, which has collected more than 130,000 signatures in the "We the People" section of the site, alleged that that 39-year-old Sun Wei was the perpetrator of the incident and even claimed she is living in the United States illegally because she gained entry to the country via a fraudulent marriage. The petition offered no evidence to back up the claims.

在白宫请愿网站“我们人民”上，已有超过13万人签名请愿，该请愿书称39岁的孙维是朱令案的凶手，甚至还指出孙维通过假结婚来非法定居美国。该请愿书中并未提到任何证据来支持这些说法。

However, one comment - "The US government should deport Sun!" - was representative of the feverish mood of many petitioners.

然而，一则“美国政府应该驱逐孙维出境”的留言代表了许多请愿者的狂热情绪。

The story began in 1994 when Zhu Ling, a 21-year-old student at Tsinghua University in Beijing, was poisoned with the heavy metal thallium.

故事要追溯到1994年，当时就读于清华大学(招生办)、年仅21岁的朱令重金属铊中毒。

Although her life was saved, Zhu was left with serious neurological damage and permanent physical impairment.

尽管保住了性命，但朱令却留下了严重的神经损伤和终身肌体障碍等后遗症。

Once a talented student with promising future, Zhu now is paralyzed and practically blind.

作为曾经拥有锦绣前程的天之骄子，如今的朱令已全身瘫痪，几乎失明。

Although no evidence has ever been presented publicly and no charges brought, online speculation suggested that Sun, one of Zhu`s roommates, was behind the incident. More startlingly, there have been claims that she wasn`t charged with the crime because a number of her relatives were powerful officials. Again, no evidence has been produced that this was the case.

虽然没有公开任何证据，也并无任何指控，但网上的种种推测都指向朱令的室友——孙维，暗示她才是幕后元凶。更令人惊讶的是，有传闻称，孙维之所以没有被指控犯罪是因为其亲戚位高权重。当然也没有任何证据支持这一说法。

Beijing police spent four years investigating the incident. Although Sun was questioned as part of the investigation, the police took no further action. By 1999, the police concluded that forensic evidence from the scene had deteriorated to the point where a conviction would be impossible.

北京警方花了四年时间来调查该案。虽然孙维曾作为调查对象接受问讯，但警方并未采取进一步行动。1999年，警方结案称，采自犯罪现场的法医证据已灭失，已无法定罪。

Uneasy reactions

不安的反应

The White House petition quickly drew comments from Chinese citizens and expatriates. However, the timing and tenor of the recent accusations against Sun have caused unease.

白宫请愿迅速吸引了海内外华人前来评论。然而，近来愈演愈烈的对于孙维的控诉声已经引发不安。

Zhang Jie, Zhu Ling`s lawyer and a senior partner at Beijing Litian Law Office, said that although he appreciated the sincerity of the opinions aired, posting a petition on the website of a foreign government is not the right way to seek help.

朱令的律师、北京市立天律师事务所资深合伙人张捷表示，尽管他本人很欣赏网友们那种直抒己见的真诚，但是在外国政府网站上上书请愿并非寻求帮助的正确途径。

"Zhu Ling`s case is still under the provenance of Chinese law, and I object to the use of these channels to ask a foreign power to intervene in Chinese domestic justice," he said.

他说：“朱令案仍适用于中国法律，并且我反对用这种方法来让国外势力干预我国的司法。”

The rumor that Sun comes from the family of a senior official can be seen as a manifestation of public anger against the wealthy and privileged, according to Lin Guirui, a psychology professor at the Capital Normal University.

首都师范大学(招生办)心理学教授蔺桂瑞认为，有关孙维出身高官家庭的传闻可视为一种民众怒视权贵的表现。

Zheng Zaisuo, a senior lawyer at Zhong Yin Law Firm in Beijing, said the petition and subsequent furor illustrated that the power of social media is a double-edged sword. It drew public attention to Zhu`s case, which had been overlooked for nearly two decades, but at the same time stirred up irrational emotions.

北京市中银律师事务所资深律师郑在索表示，请愿事件及随后而来的民愤表明，社交媒体其实是把双刃剑。它将公众目光聚焦到尘封二十载的朱令案上，但同时也激发了人们的不理性情绪。

"Online bulletin board sites and weibo (social networking sites) are flooded with rumors, angry comments and curses," he said. "These angry people think they are protecting one person`s rights, but they may be harming another`s rights at the same time. "

“网络论坛和（社交网站）充斥着谣言、愤怒的评论和谩骂。”他说。 “愤怒的网民认为他们在保护一个人的权益，但是他们很可能也在伤害另一个人的权益。”

A personal statement

一份迟来的声明

Despite the time lag, online interest in Zhu`s case has never quite abated. The issue was reignited by the Fudan poisoning tragedy.

尽管时隔多年，朱令案在网络上的热度从未减退。不久前发生的复旦投毒案牵出了人们对它的再度关注。

On Dec 30, 2005, 10 years after the incident, Sun posted a message titled "Sun Wei`s statement: Refuting the rumor that I poisoned my roommate Zhu Ling" on the forum of one of China`s biggest bulletin board sites, Tianya. The post gained 1.5 million hits and many readers left comments.

2005年12月30日，在朱令案案发十年后，孙维在中国最大的论坛——天涯论坛上发布了一个名为“孙维的声明：驳斥我投毒室友朱令的谣言”的帖子。该帖获得了150万点击量，网友纷纷留下评论。

On April 18, Sun posted a second, much shorter statement, saying that she lived a lonely but contented life and cared little about either positive or negative public opinion. The post received more than 6 million hits and 225,000 comments.

4月18日，孙维第二次发帖，内容只有短短一句话：“去去醉吟高卧,独唱何须和。笑骂由人。”（编者注：大概意思是：我现在过着虽孤单却满足的生活，不在乎别人如何看我。）该帖获得了超过600多万次的点击量以及22.5万条评论。

"I understand why people are so angry about this case. Many think it confirms a widespread belief that officials are above the law," said Zheng Zaisuo, referring to the allegations of an official coverup. "But people need to be rational. What we need is a rigorous legal system and an objective investigation, not mob revenge against Sun."

针对官员包庇的说法，郑在索律师表示：“我能够理解人们为何对朱令案感到如此愤慨。很多人认为这一事件证实了人们眼中官大于法的共识。但是人们需要理性。我们需要的是严格的法律体系和客观的调查，而不是粗暴地对孙维进行聚众报复。”