China executed two men for deadly attacks in November that killed dozens, state media reported on Monday. This raises concerns about an increase in “revenge crimes” or crimes committed to exact revenge against society.
Fan Weiqu was executed on Monday. According to authorities, Fan Weiqu rammed his vehicle into a crowd in front of a stadium in Zhuhai’s southern city, killing 35 and seriously injuring 43 others. Authorities said that the attack was the deadliest one in more than a decade. It occurred on the eve before the People’s Liberation Army’s annual aviation exhibition, which is held in Zhuhai. The police said Fan was angry over his divorce settlement.
Xu Jiajin, 21, also killed eight people in November and injured 17 more in a stabbing at his vocational college in the eastern city of Wuxi. Wu failed his exams and couldn’t graduate. He was also unhappy with his salary at his internship, according to the police. According to CCTV, he was also executed on Monday.
According to state media, the two men were sentenced to death by the intermediate courts of the people in Zhuhai (in December) and Wuxi (in December), respectively. The sentences had been approved by the Supreme People’s Court.
The murders prompted Chinese President Xi Jinping, to urge local government to take measures to avoid such attacks.
In China, there have been several attacks where suspects seem to be targeting random people including schoolchildren. A 50-year-old man was arrested in October after he used a knife on children at a Beijing school. Five people were hurt. Three people were killed by a knife in a Shanghai grocery in September.
China executes more prisoners than any other country in the world, but the exact number is classified as a secret. The executions are usually carried out with a gunshot. However, lethal injections have been introduced in the last few years.
