Law and human relations have always been a rather sensitive and complex topic. In this case, which occurred in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, a college student named Yan Xiaotian was sentenced to ten years and six months in prison for taking out a bird's nest, which aroused widespread concern and discussion from all walks of life.
During the summer vacation of 2014, Yan Xiaotian, a college student from the countryside, returned to his hometown to spend the summer vacation. Like many rural youths, Yan Xiaotian is full of curiosity and love for nature. He found a nest of birds with strange feathers in the tree and was excited to bring them home. However, he did not realize that these birds, called terns, are national second-class protected animals.
For this case, what touched people's hearts more was Yan Xiaotian's father, Yan Aimin. When he heard that his son had been sentenced to such a heavy sentence, he was shocked beyond acceptance. The rural old man thought that his son was just playing outside and naughty, but he did not expect that the price this time would be ten and a half years in prison.
Yan Aimin decided to embark on a long and lonely journey of appeal, running almost all over the courts in Henan Province, constantly asking judges for a commutation of sentence. However, despite his efforts that are sympathetic, personal emotions and individual specificities are hardly the basis for commutation of sentences before the law.
This case has sparked widespread social controversy and made people see once again the conflict between law and human feelings. Laws exist to uphold social fairness and justice, while the Penal Code provides severe penalties for illegal hunting and trafficking of state-protected animals.
However, in people's traditional perceptions and daily behavior, the perception of such things may be relatively tolerant. This raises the question: how should the law balance the two, ensuring social fairness and justice, and reflecting a reasonable attitude towards individuals?
In fact, in addition to stricter enforcement of the law, what is needed is a review of the law itself. Is it possible to make more humane and targeted adjustments to institutional design to avoid similar tragedies from happening again? Yan Xiaotian was eventually commuted for one and a half years because of his good performance in prison, and he was successfully released in May this year. Perhaps during those long days and nights, he reflected on his mistakes and realized the importance of the law.
Yan Aimin's persistence and efforts not only let us see the selfless love of an ordinary father for his son, but also made more people begin to reflect on and pay attention to the complex relationship between law and human feelings.
This case of a college student who took out birds in Henan is not only an individual incident, but also an important case that triggers social thinking and legal reflection. It is hoped that through such events, society can be aroused to pay attention to the bottom line of the law and the conflict of human feelings. We need to follow the law while also thinking about how to make the law more humane and reasonable. Only in this way can we better safeguard the fairness and justice of society, and also give more opportunities and hopes to everyone who makes mistakes.