Qian Renfeng looking outside the car window on her way home after 13 years in prison.(Photo: Beijing Times/Ouyang Xiaofei)
A woman sentenced to life in prison for poisoning children was acquitted on Monday, renewing long-standing questions among judicial experts about the best way to ensure that legal processes are used in handling cases.
The central government determined two years ago to rectify wrongful verdicts.
Qian Renfeng was given a life sentence in 2002 by Zhaotong Intermediate People's Court in Yunnan province, after she allegedly put poison in the food of children at a kindergarten where she worked. One of the children died. At the time, Qian was 17.
The court said Qian poisoned the children because did not get along with her employer.
After serving 13 years in prison, Qian, now 30, was pronounced innocent by the Yunnan Provincial High People's Court on Monday, because evidence in the case was flawed, as was her confession.
"The evidence presented by the police was tainted, and there were some inconsistencies in the defendant's confession. Also, signatures on three statements in which she confessed to the crime were proved not to be hers," the court in Yunnan said.
Gao Wei, vice-president of the Yunnan University Law School, said that it's a must to root out improper procedures in dealing with cases, "because in this way we'll avoid wrongful judgments effectively".
It was not the first time the country's courts have overturned a judgment in the past two years.
Since late 2013, Chinese courts have conducted a sweeping crackdown on wrongful verdicts, aiming to build up judicial credibility and implement the rule of law nationwide.
Hugjiltu, an 18-year-old ethnic Mongolian who was executed in 1996 after he was found guilty of a rape and murder he didn't commit, was cleared last December. Four months ago, 38-year-old Nian Bin in Fujian province was also acquitted because of insufficient evidence.
Zhou Lei, a legal researcher at the Difficult Case Research Center at the China University of Political Science and Law, said wrongful judgments are mainly attributable to improper procedures in collecting evidence.
"Some police still interrogate suspects or defendants using torture, even though it's illegal," Zhou said. "Some courts also ignore defense lawyers' opinions during trials, although the country has highlighted the importance of respecting and hearing them in criminal cases."
He suggested the government invest more money in police officers and facilities for investigations.
Although it is difficult to prove wrongdoing by people who handle cases improperly, investigations must proceed, he said.
