20-year-old rape-murder case to be reviewed in Shandong

The Supreme People's Court assigned the Shandong Provincial People's High Court to review a controversial rape and murder case from almost two decades ago in Hebei province to determine if it should be reopened, the top court announced on Friday night.

The court decided to review the case based on the application of the high court in Hebei province and the spirit of related laws and regulations, the court said in a statement.

The review is a necessary step to decide whether to reopen the case.

In 1995, Nie Shubin, 21, was executed for the rape and murder of a woman in Shijiazhuang the year before.

However, 10 years later, Wang Shujin, 46, confessed to several rapes and murders, including the crimes for which Nie was convicted.

Wang was able to recall some of the details of the crime scene in Nie's case.

Wang's confession cast doubt on Nie's conviction and caused a public outcry.

Wang was sentenced to death in July 2007.

Nie's parents were convinced that their son was a victim of torture.

They have continued to fight to exonerate him.

They have repeatedly claimed their son was innocent and have tried various means to get the government to explain the conviction, but have been unsuccessful.

Nie's case has also gained attention from the legal establishment.

In 2011, more than 60 scholars and lawyers called for a retrial, citing doubts about his guilt that they said were sufficient to warrant reopening the case.

They said a retrial would be a big step forward for China's rule of law.

Nie's family had asked the Hebei High Court to retry the case, but the requests were rejected multiple times.

hena@chinadaily.com.cn