China
14:44, 24-Apr-2017
Illiterate man overturns murder conviction by writing 5,000 letters from behind bars
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In November 2016, Yang Dewu was released from prison after 15 years in jail, regaining his innocence and the freedom to return to his home in Yaoyi village, in China’s eastern province of Anhui. To regain his freedom, illiterate Yang learned how to read and write, and never gave up on defending his innocence.
The Beijing News
The Beijing News
On July 14, 2000, Yang found his mother-in-law dead at home, after returning from a night shift at the local brickyard where he worked. He was the first person to discover the crime scene, with the front door of his house locked.
Yang invited his mother-in-law to live with him one year prior to her death. His wife had left home for work, and he wanted to take care of his wife’s mother. Yang’s job in the brickyard was enough to support a decent life for the family.
But after finding her body, local policemen arrived that morning and detained Yang after a quick examination of the crime scene.
The Beijing News
The Beijing News
In November 2000, Yang received a suspended death sentence for his mother-in-law's murder. Yang appealed in 2001, but the provincial court rejected the appeal and upheld the original judgement.
To prove his innocence, illiterate Yang asked his brother to buy him a dictionary, and he started to learn how to read and write. By 2005, Yang had written over a hundred complaint letters, protesting for his innocence to over 200 addresses. He sent out at least one complaint letter per day.
“ It feels like you are riding on a road made of stones, ups and downs, repeating all the time,” said Yang. “I wrote as many as I could, to at least leave officers with an impression of me.”
Yang collected paper reports about his case. /The Beijing News
Yang collected paper reports about his case. /The Beijing News
Yang’s efforts were finally recognized 15 years later. His case was reviewed, and the murder verdict was withdrawn, declaring Yang innocent and free to go.
Yang's notebook includes the progress he made in overturning the case. /The Beijing News
Yang's notebook includes the progress he made in overturning the case. /The Beijing News
During his time behind bars, Yang sent out 5,000 complaint letters, using 20,000 stamps.
“An illiterate person learned to read and write neatly. This can be seen as a good story, but also a sad story for us too,” said Yang Li Lichun, Yang’s daughter.
Yang recalled his 15 years in jail in an interview with The Beijing News, saying if he had not been wrongly sentenced, he could have lived on with his wife, moving to a larger house and sending his daughter to university.