Zhang Huanzhi, a bereaved mother in her 70s, finally got the not guilty verdict for her son that she awaited.

Her fight for justice began the very moment her son, Nie Shubin, was arrested for murder in 1994. And the confession in 2005 of another man, Wang Shujin, who claimed he was the actual murderer, gave her additional power and courage to continue.

In March 2005, Zhang hired a lawyer and began the legal process to clear the name of her son. Soon after the appeal, the provincial Political and Legal Affairs Committee in Hebei said it would set up a joint investigative group with other judicial departments in the province to look into the case.