Detained for 18 years on suspicion of killing his wife Henan octogenarian waits for 60 years to desire "innocence" procuratorate: The case is still being handled

Recently, some netizens broke the news to Tianmu News that an 85-year-old man in Taikang, Henan Province, was taken away by the public security organs 60 years ago on suspicion of killing his wife and detained for 18 years. After his release from prison, the old man petitioned many times in order to prove his innocence, but more than 40 years later, it was still fruitless, and once the matter was announced, it aroused widespread concern in society. On October 28, Tianmu News reporter contacted Li Guozhen, the son-in-law of the elderly Wang Zuomei, who said that as of now, the Taikang County Bureau of Letters and Visits, the Public Security Bureau, the Henan Provincial Bureau of Letters and Visits, and the Public Security Department have not given the elderly a reasonable explanation.

His wife died three days after giving birth

The husband was detained for 18 years on suspicion of intentional injury

According to Li Guozhen, on October 3, 1961, Li Fengying, then the wife of Wang Zuomei, then a cadre of hongshan temple administrative village in Daxuzhai Township, Taikang County, Zhoukou City, Henan Province, hanged herself at home three days after giving birth to her son, Wang Yunqing. Wang Zuomei, who was working in the village, heard the news and hurried back home, and the once happy family was left with only two children waiting to be fed. The death of his wife brought an extremely painful blow to Wang Zuomei, and he did not even know why his wife suddenly ended her life, "I heard from the neighbors that my father-in-law and mother-in-law's previous relationship has always been happy and happy, and I don't know why." Wang Zuomei's son-in-law Li Guozhen said.

Two days later, Wang Zuomei, who had not yet come out of the pain of bereavement, was taken from her home by the police of the Taikang County Public Security Bureau and detained in the Taikang County Detention Center. During this period, Wang Zuomei received a detention certificate from the Taikang County Public Security Bureau in the detention center. According to Wang Zuomei, the reason for the detention certificate stated that he was suspected of intentional injury, but at that time, the official notification of the police to the family was that his wife Li Fengying had committed suicide.

After two years in detention at the Taikang County Detention Center, in 1963, Wang Zuomei was taken by the police to detention center No. 10 Weiyi Road, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, until 1969. Subsequently, Wang Zuomei was escorted back to the Taikang County Detention Center for detention, another 10 years, until 1979, when the public security organs handled the procedures for his "release to be investigated".

The octogenarian waited for sixty years

The biggest wish is to "regain innocence"

Tianmu News reporters learned from Wang Zuomei's son-in-law, Li Guozhen, that from his detention in 1961 to his "release pending investigation" in 1979, Wang Zuomei had been in detention and the case had not entered any judicial trial procedures. After his release, Wang Zuomei first worked as a coal miner at the Zhengzhou Mining Bureau, and later was terminated by the Mining Bureau, and his life was once in a dilemma.

Wang Zuomei, now 85 years old, makes a living by working odd jobs at the Yunhe Ecological Art Cemetery in Zhengzhou. During this period, in order to prove his innocence, the old man petitioned again and again. In July 2019, the Taikang County Public Security Bureau presented Wang Zuomei with a written certificate of legal citizenship based on the situation and requirements reflected by Wang Zuomei, but there has been no response since then.

With the continuous progress of the state compensation trial work and the continuous improvement of the application system of the state compensation law and norms, Wang Zuomei requested state compensation in writing to the Taikang County People's Procuratorate and the Public Security Bureau on May 24, 2021. On July 1, the retained lawyer submitted to the Taikang County Public Security Bureau and the Taikang County Procuratorate the "Legal Opinions on Requesting Wang Zuomei's Case, the Public Security Organs and the People's Procuratorate Should Issue a Case Summary and Make a State Compensation Decision.".

According to Li Guozhen, the Taikang County Public Security Bureau and the Taikang County People's Procuratorate have successively made decisions not to compensate. Among them, the reason given by the Taikang County People's Procuratorate is that there is no result of the original case and no legal documents to prove the handling of the original case.

County Prosecutor's Office: The case is still pending

Full-time prosecutors are responsible

On October 28, Tianmu News reporters called the Taikang County Public Security Bureau, and the staff of the Publicity Department of the Public Security Bureau responded that after the incident, the parties had not raised any demands, and the procuratorate made a reply to formal arrest. "Later, the son-in-law of the party, Li Mou, submitted a request for compensation, and I heard that because the content of the appeal did not meet the conditions for state compensation, the specific matters of the incident had to be asked by the procuratorate." The staff member said that because it has been 60 years since the incident, most of the police officers handling the case at that time have retired, and the police officers in the police station do not know too much about this matter at present, and it is inconvenient to disclose too much.

Subsequently, the reporter contacted the Taikang County People's Procuratorate, and the staff of the procuratorate's office said that the procuratorate has a full-time procurator in charge of the case, which is still being further processed. "There are rules in the hospital that do not allow investigation into the case, and it is not clear which prosecutor is in charge of the case," the staff member said.

After consulting the relevant lawyers on this matter, the reporter learned that according to articles 23, 24 and 25 of China's "State Compensation Law", the compensation requester should first submit it to the compensation obligated organ. The organ obligated to make compensation shall make a compensation decision within two months from the date of receipt of the application. The lawyer said that if citizens' personal freedom is violated, the daily compensation is calculated according to the average daily wage of employees in the previous year.