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Wrongly imprisoned man seeks payment

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A man who served 12 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of rape and murder in Henan province has demanded 3.79 million yuan ($618,000) in compensation.

Li Huailiang, 47, who was convicted of raping and killing 13-year-old Guo Ruina in 2001, was released on April 25 after the court announced his innocence.

On Monday afternoon, he went to the Pingdingshan Intermediate People's Court with his family and applied for State compensation.

Wang Yongjie, his attorney from Beijing Yijia Law Firm, said the amount is commensurate with Li's suffering while in detention.

"Li has high blood pressure and heart disease due to the long-term imprisonment," Wang said. "He almost died in 2006 from a heart attack."

A local court sentenced Li to 15 years in prison in September 2003, but the sentence was refuted by the Pingdingshan Intermediate People's Court in December 2003 for lack of evidence.

Li and the victim's family members appealed the sentence. Li claimed he was innocent and only confessed because he was tortured by police during the interrogation, while Guo Songzhang, the victim's father, claimed Li should receive the death sentence, Beijing Times reported.

Guo and his wife dedicatedly petitioned for a stronger punishment after the sentence. On May17, 2004, Guo wrote a promise to the Pingdingshan court, in which he agreed to stop petitioning, but in return, the court had to sentence Li to life imprisonment or the death penalty.