Top court to review high-profile change in S China death penalty case

China's top court decided on Sunday to review the files of a high-profile case from the High People's Court of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, about two months after a convicted rapist's sentence was changed to suspended death from the death penalty.

In July 2019, Yang Guangyi was sentenced to death by the Qinzhou Intermediate People's Court in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region for the rape and subsequent death of a 10-year-old girl who was on her way home, according to a report by Red Star News, a news outlet based in Southwest China's Sichuan province. The girl died after she was raped and injured by Yang and then left on a hill, the report said.

On March 25, the Guangxi High People's Court revoked the original ruling after Yang appealed, changing his original penalty to death with a two-year reprieve. It cited Yang's behavior in going to police to confess to the crime and surrendering, the report said. Yang's father accompanied him when his son confessed.

The case, especially the change in the sentence, quickly went viral on Chinese social medial platforms and triggered public outrage.

On Sunday, the Supreme People's Court issued a statement, saying it has decided to go through case-related files, materials and the ruling made by the High People's Court. No more information about the review has been disclosed.