Prosecutors vow swift action against 'extreme' offenders

China's top prosecutors have vowed to harshly and swiftly punish those who commit mass murders in retaliation against society, officials said on Wednesday, highlighting the execution of two men convicted in two separate deadly attacks last year.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate emphasized its commitment to combating serious violent crimes, including intentional homicides, robberies and kidnappings, to maintain social stability.

Miao Shengming, deputy procurator general of the SPP, told a news conference that authorities are prioritizing severe punishments for individuals who cause multiple deaths, especially those who carry out "major, malicious and extreme crimes" intended to endanger public safety.

Miao cited two recent high-profile cases as examples: a car-ramming attack in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, that left 35 people dead and 43 injured on Nov 11, and a mass stabbing in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, in which eight were killed and 17 were injured on Nov 16.

According to police, Fan Weiqiu, 62, drove a small SUV through a barrier at a sports center in Zhuhai, striking people exercising at the venue. Investigators said Fan was dissatisfied with the division of financial assets in his divorce and took out his personal anger on society.

In the Wuxi case, the police said Xu Jiajin, 21, was angry over failing his exams and being denied graduation from the Wuxi Vocational Institute of Arts and Technology last year. Dissatisfied with his internship pay, he carried out the stabbing attack, authorities said.

Miao said prosecutors were deployed to oversee the cases, ensuring expedited legal proceedings. Both men were convicted of intentional homicide and executed in January.

The SPP has established a mechanism to analyze such cases and identify underlying causes, said Yuan Ming, chief of the SPP's major crime department. He added that close cooperation with courts and public security authorities ensures rapid investigations, arrests, prosecutions and trials.

From January to November 2024, Chinese procuratorial authorities approved the arrests of 669,000 people and initiated public prosecutions against more than 1.46 million. The proportion of severe violent crimes prosecuted has fallen from 7 percent from the same period a decade ago to 3.7 percent, according to the SPP.

"People's sense of gain, happiness and security have been continuously enhanced. And China has been proven to be one of the safest countries in the world," Miao said.

cuijia@chinadaily.com.cn