Bikini show in 2014 China Final of Miss Tourism World
Close-up view of August Aerobatic Team
Goddesses married in 2014
Polar region photos raise worldwide awareness of global warming
Get off at the last stop — Beijing Subway in vision
Top 100 beauties in the world!
Gallery: Who is the most beautiful one?
If you like autumn, put your hands in the air!
Fan Bingbing's "Queen style" in new play
Lingerie show at 2014 Miss China
SHIJIAZHUANG, Dec. 13 -- For the past nine years, Zhang Huanzhi's life was filled with regret, pain and sadness. But a recent court decision has finally soothed her torment, at least to some extent.
Zhang's son, Nie Shubin, was executed 19 years ago on charges of raping and murdering a woman in Hebei's provincial capital, Shijiazhuang. In 2005, the case generated headlines again after another man confessed to the rape and murder of the same woman in Nie's case.
Since 2005, Zhang, already in her 70s, has visited Hebei Higher People's Court countless times, demanding a review of the case in order to prove innocence of her son.
"I have so much regret because I did not even get to see my son before he was executed," Zhang said. "The only thing I could do was try to prove his innocence to ease my pain."
Zhang said she was relieved when the Supreme People's Court (SPC) on Friday appointed Shandong Higher People's Court to review the rape-murder case involving Nie Shubin .
"I am more than thrilled," a tearful Zhang told Xinhua. "The decision is a reflection that judicial system is improving."
Liu Bojin, a lawyer with Beijing Boshen Law Firm, has signed a contract with Zhang on Saturday and will act on her behalf to look through related files and help her and the public who demand the truth.
The high-profile case is heatedly discussed on microblog site Weibo.com, with many voicing support for Zhang and the court's decision.
"I hope that the review of the case will bring us justice and comfort the soul of my lost child," Zhang said.
Wang Shujin, 47, was apprehended by police in 2005 for three unconnected rape and murder cases, and confessed to the rape and murder of the same woman in Nie's case.
Wang, sentenced to death in March 2007, claimed that he raped and murdered a woman in a cornfield on the outskirts of Shijiazhuang in 1994 and Nie was innocent. Hebei Higher People's Court, which approved the death penalty on Nie in 1995, did not believe his claim in a retrial last year and Nie's verdict still stands.
Wang's claims have raised public questions of judicial impartiality.
The review of Nie's case is aimed at "ensuring judicial fairness and responding to public concerns," according to the SPC's announcement on Friday.
(For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook)
20 years on: Relocated Three Gorges residents through lens
PLA HK Garrison veterans leave behind beautiful smiles
Representative beauties of each province in China
Chestnut girl goes viral online
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
In photos: Bright and brave female soldier of PLA
China's charming first lady
Excellent photos of Zhuhai Air Show
China's heavyweight aircraft
Society needs consensus on street politics
Policy bank plan gets mixed reaction
Shopaholics
Hungry momentsDay|Week|Month