Pair of kidnappers executed in Guangzhou

Two persons convicted of kidnapping and selling children were executed in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, on Thursday.

The executions for Zhang Weiping and Zhou Rongping were carried out by the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court, following the order issued by the Supreme People's Court.

The death sentences against Zhang and Zhou were passed by the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court on Dec 28, 2018, after a public hearing.

Convictions were upheld on appeal by the Guangdong High People's Court in its second trial and the high court submitted the death sentence to the Supreme People's Court for approval in accordance with law.

The Supreme People's Court reviewed the facts and found the first and second judgments were clear and made with reliable evidence, upholding the convictions as appropriate. It then approved the executions to Zhou and Zhang.

The Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court said the rights of the convicted had fully been protected before the executions were carried out.

Zhou was found guilty of kidnapping and selling children after he illegally kidnapped a two-year-old boy from a household in Guangzhou's Zengcheng district and later transferred the boy to Zhang for sale in 2005, the intermediate court said.

Zhang was also found guilty of abducting and selling another eight children alone from September 2003 to December 2005.