An appeal of a high-profile case, in which the defendants were imprisoned for rape, forced prostitution and whoring with a girl, was rejected by Heilongjiang Provincial High People's Court on Friday after a five-month review and investigation.

The court said the original ruling was made based on clear facts and sufficient evidence, the convictions were accurate, and the sentences were appropriate.

In October 2008, a 14-year-old girl Tang Lanlan (alias) wrote a letter to police in the province's Wudalianchi city, claiming she had been repeatedly raped and sexually abused for seven years by her own father, grandfather, uncle, teacher, neighbors and a village head.

After an investigation, 11 people, including Tang's parents, were caught. In 2010, Tang's father was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and whoring with a girl at the Heihe City Intermediate People's Court. The other 10 defendants were given sentences ranging from five to 15 years in prison for the same charges.

The ruling was upheld by the provincial people's court in 2012.

Tang's grandfather was reported to have died in prison, and of the other 10 defendants, five have been released so far, including Tang's mother.

The defendants, including Tang's parents, submitted the appeal application to the provincial court earlier this year. In February, the court said it would decide whether to retry the case after a review.

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