Record mental distress compensation for wrongly executed man

Nie's parents cry after their son was judged innocent by Supreme People's Court. [Photo: news.163.com]

The family of a Chinese man, Nie Shubin who was executed after being wrongly convicted of murder and rape has been awarded a record amount of state compensation for psychological damage, reports China Youth Daily.

The Higher People's Court of Hebei Province reportedly made the decision on March 27th to award the family 2.68 million yuan(USD 389 thousand) in compensation including a record high of 1.3 million yuan (USD 189 thousand) for psychological distress.

Apart from compensating for the mental distress caused, the 2.68 million yuan amount is meant to reflect the loss of Nie's personal freedom, death, funeral expenses, and also includes recognition of the living costs of Nie's mother.

A file photo of Nie Shubin.[Photo: Sina Weibo]

Nie was 21 when he was executed after being found guilty in 1995 of the rape and murder of a woman on the outskirts of Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province.

In 2005, Nie's case reemerged after another man, Wang Shujin, confessed to the crimes that Nie had been convicted of. In 2016, Nie was exonerated by the Supreme People's Court.

Nie's family had earlier asked for compensation of 13.91 million yuan (more than USD 2 million).