Justice delivered too late for some

Zhao Zhihong (center) stands trial on rape and murder charges at Hohhot Intermediate People's Court in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Monday. Photo Provided to China Daily

Innocence upheld

Twelve wrongful convictions involving 13 people were overturned in 2014:

Suspended death: Yang Botao, a resident of Shangqiu, Henan province, received a suspended death sentence for homicide after his case was tried seven times. After an 11-year investigation, prosecutors dropped the charges in August 2013. Yang was released in February 2014.

Suspended death: Zhang Guangxiang, from Bijie, Guizhou province, received a suspended death sentence for robbery after the case was heard seven times. After an 11-year effort, Zhang was declared innocent in April 2014.

10 years: Wang Jiangfeng, a resident of Shaanxi province, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2012 for robbery after the case was tried three times. After a two-year investigation, the provincial court in Tongchuan acquitted him in a retrial in July 2014.

10 years: Ouyang Jia, of Hunan province, was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison for robbery with a knife in 2009, after the case was heard three times. It took five years to overturn the conviction, and he was declared innocent on July 14, 2014.

Death: Gao Ruju and Xie Shiyong, two residents of Bijie, Guizhou province, were sentenced to death for robbery in 2004 after their case was heard five times. Local prosecutors withdrew their accusations after a 10-year investigation, and the two were released in July 2014.

Death: Nian Bin, from Fujian province, was sentenced to death for allegedly killing two children with poison in 2006. His case was heard eight times and, after an eight-year investigation, he was declared innocent on Aug 22, 2014.

Suspended death: Xu Hui, of Zhuhai, Guangdong province, received a suspended death sentence for rape and homicide in 1998 after the case was heard four times. After appealing for 16 years, the conviction was overturned and Xu was declared innocent at a retrial in September 2014.

Life imprisonment: Huang Jiaguang, of Hainan province, was sentenced to life imprisonment for homicide in 2000 after the case was heard three times. He was declared innocent in a retrial in December 2014.

Suspended death: Chen Qinqin, from Gansu province, received a suspended death sentence for homicide in 2010 after her case was heard four times. After Chen appealed for years, she was declared innocent in November 2014.

Life imprisonment: Wang Yuansong, of Guizhou province, was sentenced to life imprisonment for homicide in 2005 after the case was tried five times. After almost 10 years of appeals and investigations, Wang was acquitted in a retrial in December 2014.

10 years: Wang Guoqi, of Guangdong province, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for illegally purchasing and transporting guns in 2010. The case was heard six times. After years of investigation, local prosecutors withdrew their accusations and Wang was declared innocent in June 2014.

Death: Hugjiltu, from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, was sentenced to death for rape and murder in 1996 after his case was heard three times, He was executed that same year. After his family appealed for 18 years, Hugjiltu was declared innocent on Dec 15, 2014.