China Cracks Down on Deadly ‘Revenge on Society’ Attacks.
In a stark display of the government’s zero-tolerance approach to violent crimes, China has executed two men responsible for deadly attacks that shook the nation in November 2024.
According to state media reports, 62-year-old Fan Weiqu was executed on Monday for ramming his car into a crowd outside a sports stadium in the southern city of Zhuhai, killing at least 35 people.
The attack was the country’s deadliest in more than a decade, with authorities stating that Fan was upset over his divorce settlement.
In a separate incident, 21-year-old Xu Jiajin was also executed on Monday for a stabbing attack at his vocational school in the eastern city of Wuxi, where he killed eight people and injured 17 others. Police said Xu had failed his exams and was dissatisfied with his internship pay.
These incidents, known as “revenge on society crimes,” have prompted Chinese President Xi Jinping to urge local authorities to take measures to prevent such attacks.
The two men’s death sentences were approved by the Supreme People’s Court after being issued by the intermediate people’s courts in Zhuhai and Wuxi.
Violent crimes, though rarer in China compared to Western countries, have seen a concerning rise in recent years, challenging the Communist Party’s reputation for strict public security.
Experts suggest that factors such as a slowing economy, high unemployment, and diminishing social mobility may have contributed to the surge in these shocking attacks.
China classifies death penalty statistics as a state secret, but rights groups believe the country executes thousands of people every year. Executions are traditionally carried out by gunshot, though lethal injections have also been introduced in recent years.
The swift and decisive action taken by the Chinese authorities in these cases underscores the government’s determination to maintain public order and quell the rise of “revenge on society” crimes, even if it means resorting to the ultimate punishment.
