CHINA DIARY

A tragedy that began in 2013 reached its climax last week, with the execution of a young man. The suffering caused by his one act, however, will continue to haunt two families forever.

Lin Senhao, a medical student at Shanghai's prestigious Fudan University, poisoned the water dispenser of his dormitory in order to target his classmate, Huang Yang. It's not clear why he did this; initial reports said that he was jealous that Huang had got admission into a doctoral course while he hadn't. Lin maintained that it was an April Fool's Day prank that went wrong. There was no reason for him to be jealous, he said, for he had already accepted a job offer.

What made Lin's conduct worse was that he did not tell the doctors treating Huang the name of the chemical he had used. In fact, he told Huang he would be fine. Lin was sentenced to death for intentional homicide in February 2014 by the trial court. He appealed, insisting that it had been a prank. The second trial focused on his intention, and the chemical used: N-Nitrosodimethylamine, which causes liver damage on acute exposure. Just before his second trial was to begin, Lin wrote a letter of apology to Huang's parents, which they rejected. In January 2015, his sentence was upheld by the next court. In May this year, the Supreme Court began to review his case. Lin's father then got a new lawyer, a death penalty specialist, who presented "new evidence'' - an expert's opinion that Huang may have died of Hepatitis B, not by poisoning.

With both the accused and the victim highly educated, bright students of a prestigious university, the case got a lot of attention. In media interviews, Lin revealed that he had taken to reading classics in prison, including Leo Tolstoy's Resurrection. He repeatedly expressed remorse for his "bad habits'' that made him commit the crime, and for his "cowardice'' that prevented him from owning up in time. "I've been saying sorry even in my dreams,'' he said. At Lin's lawyer's bidding, 170 of his classmates, who thoughtfully gave Mother's Day gifts to Huang's mother, also submitted a petition asking that Lin be spared the noose and given a second chance, as he had expressed remorse.

No escape

The trial proceedings took place in a highly charged atmosphere. News photographs showed the victim's mother coming out of court sobbing and his father's face contorted in a bid to hold back tears. One heart-breaking picture showed Lin's father breaking down, banging his fist against a wall outside the courtroom.

Dispelling fears that the judges would be swayed by public opinion, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence, calling the offence "abominable'' and the consequences "grave''. In its review, it questioned Lin alone and also Lin's lawyer, asking whether Lin admitted that Huang had drunk the poisoned water. The lawyer said that Huang had had only a drop; also, Lin had drained off the chemical fearing it was too strong, and added clean water instead.

As the verdict was read out, Lin's remarkable face with its high cheekbones and full lips remained expressionless. His father wasn't in court, but told reporters he felt "muddled" after hearing the news. Why did Lin act as he did? Like in India, academic competition is immense in China, but is it enough to kill out of frustration? And what remorse did he feel, considering he wrote his apology just before his second trial was to begin? What haunts the most about this tragedy is the grief both parents will have to live with till they die. For them, there's no escape.

Incidentally, just two day ago, two high-profile convicts - disgraced Party leader Bo Xilai's wife, accused of murdering a Briton, and former railway minister, accused of corruption - had their death sentences commuted.