Happy ending for detained hair salon owners in S China

Three owners of a "hair salon" in South China's Guangdong Province will receive state compensation after being released from detention for organizing the service of masturbation, as a local court has ruled that masturbation is not considered an act of prostitution.

Li Zhanwu, Huang Shuliang and Li Zhanwen were acquitted of all charges and will most likely receive a total compensation of 190,000 yuan ($31,047) on Thursday from government for violation of their personal freedom, Li Jingfei, the attorney of the three owners, told the Global Times.

Li Zhanwen spent 365 days in the Nanhai district detention center in Foshan, Guangdong Province, while Li Zhanwu and Huang Shuliang were detained for 443 days.

The Nanhai district people's court said they were aware of the compensation application, but declined to reveal more details when reached by the Global Times.

The three had organized sexual services such as masturbation and "breast massage," in which a woman massages a client using her breasts, in their "hair salon."

Their business was busted by police in Nanhai district in July, 2011 and they were convicted for organizing prostitution in December the same year. The charges were dropped in a second trial in 2012, where the Intermediate People's Court in Foshan overruled the previous verdict and declared that acts that do not involve full intercourse are not considered to be prostitution.

"The Ministry of Public Security released a regulation that classifies masturbation and 'breast massage' as prostitution, but this regulation has no effect in legal proceedings, which means anyone involved in such services should not face prosecution," Chen Tao, a lawyer from Beijing Junyong Law Firm, told the Global Times.

Guangdong's court ruling has sparked nationwide debate, as other parts of the country still deem offering masturbation illegal.

The owner of a "hair salon" in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, was jailed for five years and fined 5,000 yuan ($813) in 2012 for providing such services, according to the Changzhou Daily.