China hangs a couple for killing two children who sparked outrage in the country

Hong Kong (CNN) — China has hanged a couple for throwing two small children out of the window of a skyscraper, in a case that has sparked outrage across the country.

A man and his girlfriend have been found guilty of murdering their children from their first marriage and allegedly accidentally plunging them from a residential tower in the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing so they could start a new family.

According to the Supreme Court of China, the father, Zhang Bo, began an affair with Ye Chengchen and initially hid that he was married and had children, but Ye found out and Zhang divorced his wife.

According to the court, Ye considered Zhang’s two children an “obstacle” to their marriage and “a burden on their future life.” She repeatedly urged Zhang to kill the children and threatened to break off relations with him if he did not do so.

After conspiring with Ye, in November 2020, Zhang threw his two-year-old daughter and one-year-old son from his 15th-floor apartment while they were playing near the bedroom window, killing them both. It happened, the court heard.

Zhang and Ye were sentenced to death in December 2021.

The Supreme People’s Court declared that the couple’s crime “seriously challenged the legal and moral basis,” calling their criminal motive “extremely despicable” and their methods “particularly cruel,” state news agency Xinhua reported. ” Said.

News of his execution was viewed by millions of people on the Chinese social network Weibo, where it became a trending topic.

“They deserved to be punished,” said one comment with 27,000 likes.

Another with 31,000 likes said: “How satisfying!”

A study published in 2020 shows that 68% of China’s citizens are in favor of the death penalty.

However, John Zhuang Liu, a law professor at the University of Hong Kong and author of the research, told CNN on Thursday that online opinions may not accurately reflect public opinion in China.

Their study shows that Chinese people who express political opinions online show greater support for the death penalty.

He said, “We do not have a clear understanding of the general public’s views on the death penalty in China, and we lack a rigorous channel to collect data.”

The 2020 document was based on the latest available national data, collected in 2013.

“We don’t know whether public opinion has changed since then,” he said.

According to human rights group Amnesty International, China does not provide transparent information on the total number of executions, but it is believed to be the country that executes the most people, with thousands sentenced to death each year.

Wednesday’s execution also shed light on the main method used to carry out executions in China: lethal injection.

“This is basically euthanasia. It was easy for them,” said one comment with 20,000 likes on Weibo.

Some drew attention to the recent execution of Alabama inmate Kenneth Smith using nitrogen gas, a new method that experts say could cause extreme pain or even torture.

Some Chinese social media users praised the execution as a suitable punishment for more serious crimes.

One particular comment read, “Why do I think a 22-minute execution is so appropriate for people who maliciously murder their wives, parents, children, and serial killers?”