Men wrongly jailed seek compensation

Four of five men who were wrongly convicted of murder and were imprisoned for 17 years have applied for State compensation worth millions of yuan, Chinanews.com reported on Oct 24.

The five men, all natives of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, were sentenced to death or to life in prison for murdering two taxi drivers in the city in 1995.

However, after new evidence surfaced in 2011, the Zhejiang provincial high court reviewed the case and acquitted the five in July 2013.

Chen Jianyang, one of the five, applied for State compensation of 1.82 million yuan ($299,300), while Zhu Youping is seeking 1.9 million yuan. Tian Weidong and Wang Jianping also are seeking compensation but they declined to reveal the amount, according to the report.

The fifth wrongly imprisoned man, Tian Xiaoping, said he will apply for compensation only after those responsible for the conviction are punished. All five had said they were tortured into confessing to the killings.

According to Chinese law, those who are wrongly imprisoned can receive 182 yuan for each day in prison plus an additional amount for mental duress.