Public Trial in 1991 Sichuan

This was a public sentencing rally in Sichuan in 1991, attended by tens of thousands.

At the scene, Armed Police officers

restrained convicts and death-row prisoners,

using escort ropes and execution ropes respectively,

in the most direct and impactful

way possible, allowing tens of thousands of people

to see with their own eyes the heavy price

of crime. The vast square

was packed with people, with thousands of residents

and students coming to the site voluntarily.

Judges sat on the platform. Looking through the footage,

court police brought the people involved

onto the sentencing platform one by one, then publicly

read out each defendant's name,

case details, and verdict.

Many older people still remember

that theft was the most common type of

criminal case at the time, from poultry and grain

to motorcycles and appliances, every household had lost

belongings at some point,

and the public deeply hated criminal theft

gangs. At the time, theft-related cases

accounted for an extremely high share of criminal cases,

at one point exceeding 70 percent. For cases involving

especially huge sums and repeated, mobile, serious

theft offenses, under the laws of the time,

amounts over 20,000 could result in

life imprisonment or even the death penalty. Looking closely,

the ropes used for restraint are notably different.

Ordinary defendants were simply restrained

with basic escort ropes, while

criminals already sentenced to death

were tied with specialized execution ropes.

The purpose of this method of restraint was to

firmly restrict movement,

prevent suspects from impulsively hurting others in court,

harming themselves, or escaping,

and ensure the smooth, safe continuation

of proceedings after sentencing.

These defendants on the platform were the ones

to be publicly executed at this sentencing rally.

The crowd below silently bore witness.

The original purpose of public sentencing rallies was not to

give people something to watch, but to deter lawbreakers.

In addition, this public sentencing rally included not only the solemn

sentencing proceedings, but also an on-site return of stolen money and

property. After extensive

investigation and pursuit, the police

returned the recovered property one by one to the

victims. On display were

recovered motorcycles and televisions, and even

stolen rabbits and livestock.

At the time, these were the most valuable possessions

of ordinary farming households.

Items that could not be recovered were converted into

cash and returned to the victims. Recovering what was lost

was, for ordinary people who had suffered losses,

a belated comfort,

and an account rendered by the law.

Which of these two goes first? Let's see.

Look, look. Let's start with this side.

This is four, this is four. Thirteen.

As the legal system continued to improve,

traditional public sentencing rallies gradually

faded into history. Looking back today,

they were not merely a judicial spectacle

unique to a particular era, but also bore witness to

the maintenance of public order at the time,

The resolve to protect the people's property.