A Chinese teenager killed after being convicted of murder and rape 18 years ago was declared innocent by a court Monday, it surprised everyone that the wrongful conviction can be overturned.
The 18-year-old, named Hugjiltu, was found guilty and put to death in Inner Mongolia in 1996, but doubt appeared when another man confessed to the crime in 2005.
"The Inner Mongolia Higher People's Court finds Hugjiltu's original guilty judgement can not well explain the facts and there is not enough evidence," the court in Hohhot said in a statement.
"Hugjiltu is found not guilty."
The court's deputy president gave Hugjiltu's parents a sum of 30,000 yuan ($4,850), according to the official Xinhua News Agency -- although the money was personal by the head of the court, it added, rather than an official payment by the court. Images on social media showed the deputy president apologizing to Hugjiltu's now elderly parents.
"This is an amazing thing the court did, to admit that they were wrong," said Wang Gongyi, deputy director of the research institute of the Ministry of Justice. "It also sends a clear message to the police and prosecutors around the country: if there's not enough evidence, don't give wrongful convictions."
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