SAN FRANCISCO (June 23, 2014) — In a landmark ruling with far-reaching implications for survivors of domestic violence, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) has overturned the death sentence of Li Yan (李彦), a 43-year-old woman who killed her husband in November 2010. The case has been sent back to the Sichuan High People’s Court for retrial.
The news comes more than a year after the SPC reportedly approved the death sentence issued by Sichuan Province’s Zhiyang Intermediate People’s Court, which said there was insufficient evidence of spousal abuse.
Death sentences are usually carried out within a few days of SPC approval, but stay of execution is possible if there is believed to be an error in the judgment.