A tragic incident in Zhuhai involving a car hitting pedestrians has resulted in at least 35 deaths and 43 injuries. The perpetrator, Fan Weiqiu, was executed on January 20.
According to a report from China’s state media CCTV News, the Intermediate People’s Court of Zhuhai City in Guangdong Province issued the death penalty order on January 20.
On the evening of November 11 last year at 7:48 p.m., a man drove an off-road vehicle into the Zhuhai Sports Center, indiscriminately running over citizens who were exercising inside the venue, causing at least 35 deaths and 43 injuries. The 62-year-old suspect, Fan Weiqiu, was apprehended on the spot.
A month and a half later, on December 27, the Intermediate People’s Court of Zhuhai City held the first trial, sentencing Fan Weiqiu to death for endangering public safety by dangerous means, and depriving him of political rights for life.
This shocking and heinous incident that has startled both domestic and international observers was concluded with a first-instance trial and judgment within a short period of a month and a half. According to a previous report by Radio Free Asia, Chinese human rights lawyer Wu Shaoping, who resides in the United States, believes that the swift and severe handling of this case by the authorities is not genuinely aimed at pacifying society but rather intended to threaten those who may consider indiscriminate retaliation against society – stating, “If you dare to act this way, we will give you a swift death penalty trial.”
However, he noted that those who seek to retaliate against society often do so with a mindset of being willing to die, and that the authorities’ attempt to address the issues facing Chinese society through such judicial means is merely a “desperate move in a crisis.”
Furthermore, the motive given by the court for Fan Weiqiu’s act of murder has also been questioned. Chinese human rights lawyer Teng Biao, who resides in the United States, expressed to the aforementioned outlet that it is unlikely for ordinary people to resort to such violent means of retaliation solely due to marital or financial issues. He suggested that the situation might be much more serious than what the authorities have disclosed and that there could be some undisclosed circumstances that the authorities are unwilling to make public.
Prior reports indicated that the driver responsible for the fatal Zhuhai car accident was sentenced to death.