Chinese police arrested in 'back from dead' case

Good to see some justice in China -- but how lucky do you have to be to have a "dead" guy turn up?

Chinese authorities have arrested two policemen suspected of torturing a confession out of a man wrongly convicted of murder 11 years ago, state press reported Thursday. Zhao Zuohai, 57, was cleared when the supposed victim showed up alive and well in his former village in the central province of Henan late last month, and he is now accusing police of brutality.

He was charged with murder in 1999, 18 months after an argument with the would-be victim, who had disappeared. A headless, decomposed body was presented as evidence. Zhao was initially condemned to death but the sentence was later commuted to a 29-year jail term.

After being released from prison this week, Zhao accused police of torturing a confession out of him by beating him with sticks, setting fireworks off over his head and depriving him of sleep for about a month, the China Daily said. The wrongful imprisonment and accusations of abuse have cast a spotlight on routine judicial malfeasance and police mistreatment in the communist nation.

"They taught me how to plead guilty. They told me to repeat what they said, and I had to, or I would be beaten," the paper quoted Zhao as saying. "They wrote down what I repeated and said it was my confession."

After his conviction, Zhao refused to appeal because he was afraid of further physical abuse, it added.

So far two policemen have been arrested on suspicion of coercing the confession through force, and a third policeman wanted in connection with the case remains at large, the paper said.

An investigation into Zhao's case has also been launched with provincial prosecutors vowing to penalise judges responsible for Zhao's wrongful conviction, it said.

On Thursday, Zhao was awarded 650,000 yuan (95,000 dollars) in compensation by the Henan high court for his time in jail after earlier receiving a 10,000 yuan payment, China Central Television reported.

A villager said that while Zhai Zuohai was in jail, his wife remarried and two of his children were adopted.

The supposed murder victim, Zhao Zhenshang, 56, told Xinhua he and Zhao Zuohai had been good friends, but fell out over a woman and money. He said he fled the village after hitting Zhao Zuohai, fearing revenge, and stayed away as he had not earned much money and felt ashamed.

Original report here



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