CHINA. MAN SUES AFTER TORTURE, FALSE IMPRISONMENT

November 9, 2005: a Chinese man who was tortured into a false confession, jailed for nearly two years and wrongly sentenced to death was suing two local law courts for compensation. Zhou Rukou, 51, brought his case against east China's Yancheng Municipal Procuratorate and the Yancheng Municipal Intermediate People's Court for jailing him for 576 days and sentencing him to death.
Zhou had been arrested and detained on April 10, 2002, after being accused of robbing and murdering an 84-year-old man.
The only evidence police had was a bruise on Zhou's neck, which they said was a proof he had been in a fight, according to his lawyer.
Zhou was then tortured by 12 police officers during interrogation and eventually falsely confessed to killing the old man.
The Yancheng Municipal Intermediate People's Court sentenced Zhou to death in September 2002. The Jiangsu Provincial High People's Court overturned the verdict in July 2003 on the grounds of inadequate evidence.
Zhou was released on bail in November 2003, and was exonerated in April when the Yancheng Municipal Procuratorate dropped the case.
Zhou demanded 1.26 million yuan (160,000 dollars) in compensation for the mental distress, loss of freedom and financial losses that he and his family suffered. (Sources: Agence France Presse, 09/11/2005)