Two police officers were sentenced on May 26 to two years in prison by a court in Hejian City, in north China's Hebei Province, for extracting a confession through torture three years ago, according to Friday's China Youth Daily.

After the sentence was handed down, Wang Jianjun and Yang Ce, former director and deputy director of Nanbao police substation in Tangshan City, both said they did not accept the verdict and intended to appeal.

Five other local police were convicted of extracting a confession through torture, but were not given criminal punishments.

Li Jiuming, the tortured and wrongly jailed victim, said he would continue to look into the responsibility of the other defendants in fabricating evidence and perverting the course of justice, as well as that of the local procuratorate and court.  

On July 12, 2002, a Tangshan couple named Guo were found robbed and severely injured.

After a preliminary investigation, local police apprehended Li, an officer from neighboring Jidong Prison. They had found a gun in his home, for which he was charged with illegal possession.

The court heard that, during interrogation, Wang and Yang, with the assistance of other officers, poured capsicum water and mustard oil into Li's mouth and gave him electric shocks, forcing him to confess that he had attacked the Guos.

On November 26 the next year, Li was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve by Tangshan Intermediate People's Court for attempted homicide and illegal possession of a gun.

Li appealed and, on August 11, Hebei Provincial Higher People's Court overturned the verdict and ordered a retrial, saying that the testimony had been inadequate.

Meanwhile, Cai Mingxin, a suspect in custody in the eastern province of Zhejiang, confessed that it was he who had robbed and assaulted the Guos.

Cai's confession was backed by evidence and Li was acquitted and released on November 26.

He is now applying for state compensation.

(Shenzhen Daily May 30, 2005)