Record payment in execution

The parents of Nie Shubin, a man who was convicted of and executed for rape and murder 21 years ago, have been paid more than 2.68 million yuan ($389,000) in compensation as a result of having had their son's conviction overturned in December, a court in Hebei province said.

The Hebei Provincial People's Court released a statement online on Thursday saying the State compensation covered Nie's funeral expenses and payment for his wrongful detention and conviction and psychological damage to the family.

Of the total, the psychological compensation amounted to 1.3 million yuan, "setting a record for compensation for people wrongly detained or convicted," according to Wang Dianxue, the family's lawyer.