Woman who murdered abusive husband gets reprieve in China

BEIJING— A woman who was sentenced to death in China after being convicted of murdering her abusive husband has received a two-year reprieve, which could become a life sentence with a possibility of parole.

The reprieve is part of new guidelines on domestic violence cases that includes recommendations for sentencing victims who commit crimes against their abuser.

Attorney Wan Miaoyan said the high court in Sichuan province in central China ordered the reprieve Friday for 44-year-old Li Yan. She was originally sentenced to death in 2011, although evidence showed husband Tan Yong had severely abused her. The country’s top court ordered a retrial for Li last June.

Such death sentence reprieves often turn into life sentences in China.