China teen forced to do 1,000 squats at delinquent centre suffers kidney failure

The story of a 15-year-old boy in China who was forced to do 1,000 deep squats as a punishment, leaving him needing a kidney transplant, has sparked outrage online.

The tragic tale began in August 2023, when the boy, identified by the pseudonym Ajun, from Guilin in Guangxi province, southern China, was caught stealing 3,500 yuan (US$500) in cash from a parked car.

However, because he was under 16, the minimum age for criminal prosecution, the police sent him to Yongqing School for “corrective education”.

His father, Jiang Peifeng, said Ajun was about to start his third year of secondary school and was going through a rebellious phase.

He believed that turning his son over to the authorities might teach him a valuable lesson.