Zhang Yuhuan in his old house Photo: Screenshot of CCTV News

Zhang Yuhuan, the man who recently had his conviction overturned after serving 26 years in jail, applied for state compensation of 22.34 million yuan ($3.3 million) to the Higher People's Court of East China's Jiangxi Province on Wednesday, Zaker News reported.

Although Zhang has been released and the accusations against him have been withdrawn, he could not shake off the "endless fear and regret" that have traumatized his spirit and life. "The overturning of the conviction is just the beginning," he said. 

On Wednesday morning, Zhang showed up at the Higher People's Court of Jiangxi Province with his family and attorney to apply for state compensation, Zaker News reported. 

"For 27 years, I have been given the dreadful label of 'murderer', and my family suffered from endless humiliation and discrimination," Zhang wrote in his application. 

"During this time, my father died, and my mother has become old and grey, but I was never there to take care of my parents; my wife fell seriously ill, and later remarried, and I was unable to fulfill my duties as a husband; my children, only 3 or 4 years old when I was taken away, have grown up without a father by their side," Zhang wrote.

The compensation includes 10.17 million yuan ($1.5 million) for infringement of personal freedom, 1 million for damage to physical health and follow-up treatment, 10.17 million for damage to mental health, and 1 million for reasonable expenses of rectification (traffic, communication, accommodation, data, lost work expenses and so on), totaling more than 22.34 million yuan. 

In addition, Zhang requested that the court publicly apologize to him on state media and restore his reputation, in an effort to wash away the negative impact of the previous misjudgment.

On August 4, 9,778 days after Zhang was detained since October 1993 for the murder of a child, the Higher People's Court of Jiangxi announced that Zhang was "not guilty" based on insufficient evidence, the longest conviction that has been overturned to date in China.

What urgently needs to be repaired, Zhang added, is not only the abandoned old house, the lack of family affection and knowledge of the world, but also the long-lost energy and sufficient material foundation to restore his reduced social abilities and heal his trauma. 

"I hope everything can be easier and not so bumpy in my 'new' life," Zhang said.

After being convicted of intentional homicide, Zhang was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in 1995 at Nanchang Intermediate People's Court. It was not until March 2019, 25 years after the initial verdict, that the Jiangxi Higher People's Court reopened the case to re-examine the evidence. 

Global Times