China strives to boost judiciary
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E-mail China Daily, September 9, 2014
When lawyer Gongsun Xue heard that Nian Bin, a man on death row, was acquitted and released on Aug 22, she felt a huge sense of relief.
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Nian Bin, who was acquitted and released on Aug 22 after being wrongly convicted four times, receives treatment at a Beijing hospital earlier this month.PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY |
"I was preparing materials for another trial at that time but couldn't concentrate until I got the good news," said Gongsun, who was one of the lawyers who represented Nian.
The Fujian provincial high court acquitted Nian eight years after he was jailed for poisoning four people, two of whom died.
The court overturned the grocery shop owner's 2008 murder conviction, citing insufficient evidence. It was the final ruling after four guilty verdicts and subsequent appeals.
Nian is undergoing physical checks in a Beijing hospital and said he is preparing to ask the State for compensation after consulting his lawyers.
Lawyers like Gongsun said the case marks the progress of Chinese laws and trials.
Sun Jungong, spokesman for China's top court, cited Nian's case as a good example for building the country's judicial credibility. Zhang Yansheng, another lawyer handling the case, said that it took a long time to be resolved but the acquittal was very significant.
Nian's case would help to reduce wrong judgments but other legal problems like torture in interrogation and the use of credible evidence still need to be urgently addressed, Zhang said.
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