Yang Jia to be executed within a week
The Supreme People’s Court, China © r neches, flickr
Yang Jia's appeal against his death sentence was rejected by the Shanghai Higher People's Court on 20 October. Yang Jia could be executed within as little as a week.
At the trial where he was convicted, Yang was represented by Xie Youming and Xie Jin, who had been appointed by the Shanghai lawyers' association. Xie is also counsel for the Zhabei district police, whose officers were killed in the 1 July attack, and therefore represents a conflict of interest.
Yang Jia was convicted on 1 September, after a closed trial, of the 1 July murder of six policemen in Shanghai's Zhabei district police station.
According to a US press report, Shanghai police told a 7 July news conference that Yang Jia had carried out the 1 July attack in revenge for rejecting a complaint for mistreatment and 'psychological damage' after being arrested and accused of stealing an unlicensed bike.
Since the outset there's been an outpouring of online comments from Chinese citizens and the local media about how a seemingly minor incident could trigger such a violent rampage. The Los Angeles' Times reported that "many Chinese raised suspicions that Yang was beaten by police, which Shanghai authorities denied … "
Points for your email
Please send an urgent letter to the Minister of Justice, Wu Aiying Buzhan. Here are some key points to include:
- urge the authorities to commute Yang Jia's death sentence to a term of imprisonment
- urge the authorities to allow a psychiatrist chosen by Yang Jia's lawyer to conduct a further assessment to determine Yang's mental competence during the attack
- express concern that Yang Jia may not have had adequate legal representation, and therefore not have received a fair trial
- call on the authorities to ensure that Yang Jia has access to his family and medical attention
- urge the authorities to conduct an independent investigation into allegations that Yang Jia was tortured, and bring those responsible to justice
Log into the Action Centre to find suggested wording for your letter. Personalised letters have a much greater impact, so please rewrite the letter and the subject line in your own words. See the letter-writing guide for help. If you receive a response please let us know.
Send your emails to
Wu Aiying Buzhang <pfmaster@legalinfo.gov.cn>
Background [-]
China executes more people each year than any other country in the world. There is likely to have been a significant drop in executions during 2007, after the Supreme People’s Court review for all death sentences, which had been scrapped in 1982, was restored. In 2007, Amnesty International recorded 470 executions, but this is an absolute minimum, based on publicly available reports. The US-based Dui Hua Foundation estimates that 6,000 people were executed that year, based on figures obtained from local officials. The official statistics on death sentences and executions are classified as state secrets.
A number of cases reported in the Chinese press in recent years reveal that innocent people have been put to death in China after unfair trials.
For more information on Yang Jia's case, read the recent blog entry.