China has executed two men who carried out separate killing sprees in November, raising concerns about an uptick in so-called “revenge against society crimes.”
While violent crime is generally rare in China, a spate of mass casualty attacks last year have dented the ruling Communist Party’s reputation for crime prevention and strict public security.
What we know about the cases
One of the men, , rammed his car into a crowd in the southern city of Zhuhai, and injuring 45.
The November 11 attack, on a group of people of people exercising , was China’s deadliest in more than a decade. Police said Fan was upset over the division of assets after his divorce.
A court concluded that the attack was “particularly cruel, and the consequences particularly severe, posing significant harm to society.”
At his trial last month, Fan was said to have pleaded guilty in front of some of the victims’ families.
On November 16, a 21-year-old killed at his vocational school in the eastern city of Wuxi in Jiangsu province. Police said Xu Jiajin had failed his examinations, was unable to graduate, and was dissatisfied with his internship pay.
Xu was permitted to “meet with his close relatives” before being executed, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Both men — whose death sentences were issued by the regional people’s courts and approved by the Supreme People’s Court — were executed on Monday, state media said.
Growing trend of violent attacks
Although the two attacks took place within days of one another and shocked the country, no connection was revealed between them.
In light of the killings, urged local governments to take measures to prevent such “revenge on society” attacks.
China has witnessed numerous mass casualty incidents this year, linked by some analysts to growing anger and desperation at the country’s slowing economy and a perceived lack of social mobility.
It is estimated that China executes more prisoners each year than the rest of the world combined, although the exact total is classified as a state secret.
While executions are normally by gunshot, lethal injections have also been introduced in recent years.
rc/nm (AFP, AP, dpa)
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