Found innocent after 27 years in jail
Print Edition
A CHINESE court has overturned the murder conviction of a man who spent 27 years behind bars for the crime.
Zhang Yuhuan, 52, was jailed for the murder of two young boys in 1993 in Zhangjia Village, eastern China’s Jiangxi Province, but has always maintained that he was forced to confess.
After serving nearly three decades in prison, a court in Jiangxi exonerated Zhang on Tuesday, citing insufficient evidence to support his conviction in the case.
“After we reviewed the materials we found there is no direct evidence that can prove Zhang’s conviction,” the Jiangxi High People’s Court said in a statement.
“So we... have declared Zhang innocent.”
Zhang was China’s longest-serving wrongfully convicted inmate, Xinhua news agency reported.
He was originally given a death sentence with a two-year reprieve in 1995. Following several unsuccessful appeals, the Jiangxi court in March last year finally agreed to retry the case.
It then concluded it was not possible to prove that sacks and hemp rope found at the murder scene and identified as tools in the crime were connected to Zhang.
After a tearful reunion with his family, Zhang ate glutinous rice balls and braised eggs as part of his first home-cooked meal in nearly three decades.
The court apologized to Zhang for the wrongful conviction.
Zhang’s lawyer Wang Fei told media that his client will seek compensation.
“We’re also planning to ask that those who committed judicial miscarriages in the case be held accountable,” Wang said.
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