China has executed Fan Weiqiu, a 62-year-old man who killed 35 people and injured 45 others in a car rampage in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, in November 2024.
The execution took place on Monday following his sentencing last month.
On November 11, Fan deliberately drove his SUV into a crowd of people exercising outside a sports complex in Zhuhai.
This attack, which became China’s deadliest mass killing in years, shocked the nation and sparked widespread public discussion.
Fan was detained at the scene with self-inflicted knife wounds and later fell into a coma, according to police.
Fan was sentenced to death in December 2024. The court described his motives as “extremely vile” and called the nature of his crime “egregious.” It concluded that Fan acted out of anger over personal frustrations, including a broken marriage and dissatisfaction with the division of property after his divorce.
The court found that his actions were “particularly cruel” and caused “significant harm to society.”
At his trial, Fan pleaded guilty in front of victims’ families, officials, and members of the public.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that Fan was executed in accordance with an order issued by the Supreme People’s Court. The municipal prosecutor sent personnel to supervise the execution, ensuring legal compliance.
On the same day, another execution was carried out in Jiangsu Province. Xu Jiajin, a 21-year-old former student, was executed for killing eight people and injuring 17 others in a mass stabbing at a vocational school in Wuxi in November 2024.
Xu, who was sentenced to death last month, was allowed to meet with close relatives before his execution.
Violent crimes are rare in China compared to many Western countries, but the recent attacks have raised questions about social issues like frustration with the economy, unemployment, and limited social mobility.
While China keeps its death penalty statistics classified, rights groups believe the country executes thousands of people annually.
Both cases have reignited debates about crime prevention and social pressures in the nation.
