Chinese authorities on Monday executed two men who were on death row for two fatal attacks that took place in the same week in November, according to the state news agency, Xinhua. They are Fan Weiqiu, 62, responsible for a mass car accident in Zhuhai (Canton province, in the south of the country), and Xu Jiajin, 21, responsible for a knife attack at a higher training school in Wuxi (Jiangsu province, on the east coast). They received the death penalty sentence in December; Neither appealed the verdict of the courts, which in both cases found their crimes “exceptionally atrocious.” The method used for the executions has not been made public.
Fan was responsible for deliberately ramming a van several times into a group of people who were exercising in front of a sports center. The accident, which occurred on the night of November 11, left an official death toll of 35 and 43 injured. From the videos that circulated on social networks and the testimonies of witnesses, it is known that Fan drove in circles and at high speed along the track that surrounds the perimeter of the stadium. He was arrested on the spot, but fell into a coma after injuring himself with a knife, so the police could not question him. According to the investigation of the case, his alleged motivation was dissatisfaction with the distribution of assets after his divorce and with his life. Following this event, which deeply moved the nation, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged “all relevant regions and departments to take precautions and strengthen risk control.”
Days later, on November 16, Xu stabbed eight people to death and injured 17 others at the Wuxi Arts and Technology Vocational Training School. The now executed man, who had been a student at the center, had failed his exams and was dissatisfied with the low remuneration he received as an intern in a factory, as the police indicated in a statement at the time.
The Zhuhai court that sentenced Fan found that his behavior deserved “the most severe punishment provided by law.” He sentenced him to death for “endangering public safety through dangerous means”; He described their motives as “despicable” and highlighted the “brutal methods used”, the serious consequences and the significant social damage derived from their actions.
In Xu’s case, a Jiangsu court sentenced him to death for intentional homicide. Reviewing the case, the Supreme People’s Court in Beijing found that his actions were carried out under “particularly serious criminal circumstances and with serious consequences.” According to Xinhua, Xu was able to say goodbye to his relatives before his execution.
The two events joined a list of attacks in recent months that have sparked debate about whether the current economic pressure may be related to mental illness and its treatment or even to xenophobia, since several attacks have been directed against foreigners. Legal experts have called for more resources to be allocated to mental health and social services and urged authorities to investigate the underlying causes of such attacks.
Zhang Jun, president and judge of the Supreme People’s Court, has stressed the need to severely punish serious crimes, while advocating for more lenient sentences in minor cases, especially when defendants plead guilty. He has also emphasized the importance of trials being held “on time” so that citizens “really feel impartiality and justice.” There are no official figures on the number of executions that China carries out, as they are classified as state secrets. However, Amnesty International estimates that thousands occur annually, which would place the country as a world leader in the application of the death penalty.
