China hangs two people to avenge deadly ‘social crimes’ death penalty news

Fan Weike drove his car into a crowd, killing 35 people, while 21-year-old Xu Jiajin drove a knife into the crowd, killing eight and injuring 17.

China has executed two men who carried out deadly attacks in November that killed dozens, raising concerns about a surge in what it called “revenge on social crimes”, state media reported.

Fan Weiqu, 62, was hanged on Monday after driving his car into a crowd outside a sports stadium in the southern city of Zhuhai, killing at least 35 people.

According to officials, the attack was the country’s deadliest in more than a decade. Police said Fan was upset with his divorce settlement.

Also in November, 21-year-old Xu Jiajin killed eight people and wounded 17 in a stabbing attack at his vocational school in the eastern city of Wuxi.

Police said Wu had failed his exams and could not graduate, and was dissatisfied with his salary at the internship. According to state broadcaster CCTV, he was also hanged on Monday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged local governments to take measures to prevent such attacks, known as “revenge on social crimes”.

According to state media, the death sentences of the two men were issued in December by intermediate people’s courts in the cities of Zhuhai and Wuxi, respectively, and approved by the Supreme People’s Court.

Violent crime is rare in China compared to many Western countries, but the country has seen an increase in recent years. Stabbings and car attacks have challenged the ruling Communist Party’s reputation for tough public security and crime prevention.

They also introduced a shock factor that led some to question perceived social ills such as a slow economy, high unemployment and despair over declining social mobility.

China classifies death penalty statistics as a state secret, but some human rights groups believe thousands of people are executed in the country each year. Executions are traditionally carried out by gunshot, although lethal injection has also been introduced in recent years.