Chinese Man Executed 21 Years Ago Found Innocent

By Bridget O'Donnell

A Chinese man who was executed 21 years ago for rape and murder was recently found innocent.

Upon hearing the news, the man's now 73-year-old father burst into tears.

Nie Xuesheng told reporters from his home in Hebei, "my son can finally rest in peace."

Nie Shubin was sentenced to death in 1995 at the age of 20. The factory worker was convicted of raping Kang Juhua, a woman who lived near Shijiazhuang, in August 1994. Nie was executed by gunshot in April 1995.
Another man named Wang Shujin confessed to the crime in 2005. But the case didn't get under way until nearly a decade later, in 2014.

China's Supreme Court announced the news of Nie's exoneration on December 2, citing negligence and procedural errors by both police and prosecutors. The court said that Nie was named a suspect "without a shred of evidence."

The court also did not rule out torture as a way to coerce Nie into making a confession. A massive nationwide anti-crime campaign in the 1990s led to sped up trials and executions, which led to authorities to cut corners during criminal procedures.

In recent years, a number of wrongful convictions like Nie's case have been overturned. This has led to concerns over miscarriages of justice in China's legal system.

[Images via CNN, CRI]

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