China: To be Dead or Not? Amnesty Appeal for Cop-killer · Global Voices
Bob Chen

There are two quotes of Yang Jia, the 28-year-old man who killed 6 cops in Shanghai this year, that have been widely circulated among people. First,
“被这样的警察管理着的国家，一个遵纪守法二十几年的公民最后都会被判刑坐牢。”
And in his first trial that a death sentence was the verdict, Yangjia pointed at the judges, saying,
“这些警察之所以敢这样，都是因为他们的背后有你们”。
Yangjia was alluding to his experience in Shanghai that he was interrogated by the police for three hours, abused, yet the government has not released the complete recording to confirm his accusation. All we know is that to avenge, he broke into a police station on July 1 this year, murdering 6 cops with a knife.
He won compassion as well as commendations that praised him do something “we want to but dare not to.” In both the first and second trials he was sentenced to death, with forensic psychiatry identifying him as with sanity. But the qualification of the psychiatry agency, the absence of key witnesses and Yangjia’s mother, doubtfully abducted, raised a number of questions.
Recognizing the problems, scores of journalists, scholars, and non-professionals, including citizen reporter Zola, economist Yushi Mao, united to wrtie an appeal letter for an amnesty of Yangjia. Death sentence, they argue, is not fair for Yangjia. A brief translation followed:
关于特别赦免杨佳先生的公民建议书
今年7月发生的杨佳先生击杀上海警察案令人震惊，引起了国内外广泛和持续的关注。我们对在中国发生这样的事件感到非常难过。我们向遇难的六名警员表示哀悼！…..同时，鉴于对中国法治和文明进步的关注，我们对杨佳先生案发后至今受到的极不公正的司法待遇也深切关注。
Then , the letter listed 5 reasons that justify an amnesty.
1.鉴于联合国60年来多次通过宣言、决议要求废除死刑，或对罪犯实行特别赦免，鉴于世界上绝大多数国家已经予以执行、废纸死刑的现状；
2…….
3…..
4. 鉴于本案所面对的需要改革的存在重多问题的司法制度背景，以及国内外各界普遍存在的对该案的审判程序存在的明显的不公的质疑；
……
5……
我们提请中央政府对本案进行特别审查，依据法定程序对受到普遍同情和关注的杨佳先生实行特别赦免。
The letter then expound on the five items. In the second one, the letter traced back to a history:
1979年，在我国新疆发生了蒋爱珍女士连杀3人的重大案件，案发后人民日报和石河子法院在5个月内收到2万多封各界人士来信，要求基于蒋爱珍是义愤杀人应予轻判。后来新疆高级法院作出了不予死刑的决定。此举深得人心，对缓解当时社会矛盾起到了重要的作用。
The third reason focuses on the case itself:
三、本案存在不公正的司法制度背景及不公正的司法程序
越来越多包括二审过程中披露的事实显示，本案起因于警察严重侵害杨佳先生的身体，杨佳先生的人格亦受到严重侮辱。杨佳先生在长期经正常合法途经寻求 权利补偿不果且得不到公正司法救济的情况下，采取极端手段，导致了这场悲剧。这也是为什么杨佳先生的行为以及他遭受的遭遇招致社会各界几乎是一边倒的同情 的原因。本案到底属于什么性质，需要最高当局从司法伦理、政治伦理的高度审慎研判。这是对最高当局政治良心、政治智慧的一次考验。
案件发生后，上海地方当局拒绝公布案件全部事实真相。决定本案性质和刑期的关键证人——杨佳母亲被公然绑架，至今不见人，关键证人——七名上海警察 拒绝出庭作证。在完全违背法定程序的情况下，秘密强行一审判处杨佳死刑，二审维持原判。如果最高当局不能采取特殊的司法救济，必然给全体国民、国际社会留 下整个政权、国家机器在围剿一个受到不公正对待、血气方刚的二十多岁青年的印象。….
After the incident, Shanghai refused to reveal a complete account of the case. Key witness, Yangjia’s mother, was openly abducted,missing till today; and the 7 Shanghai police, refused to attend the trial. Against the legal procedure, the court secretly ruled a death sentence upon Yangjia, and maintained the verdict at the 2nd trial. If the high authority is not giving any special legal aid, it will certainly leave people thinking that the polity is attempting to crush on a ill-treated, full-blooded young man……
In the end, the letter says,
并以此为发端，开始在中国废除死刑的历史进程，永久确立特别赦免之文明制度，建立文明法治之现代国家。
The appeal is put online to collect more signatures,now being widely circulated. However, not everyone stands with it. Celebrated blogger Wuyuesanren五岳散人 says in his blog post
为什么没在特赦杨佳的请愿书上签名
个人以为，杨佳事件远不是提请特赦死刑、进而向废除死刑进步的好机会。杀孽过重不说，而且是对并没有对他造成直接伤害的警察进行了报复。即使中国所有的警 察都是维护这个专政机器的最忠实的走狗，也未免背离了最朴素的找对仇人再下手的江湖道义。连坐法都已经是昨日黄花了，针对某特定群体中不特定的人而施用的 暴力，即使其中有多少正义成分，也是有些问题的。
He also questioned that what the letter appealed is actually a political intervention into the legal procedure.
所以，选择这个案子提请特赦，其效果不是民间社会对法治社会的张目，而是希望权力阶层抛出来的媚眼。坚持追问此案当中不合法的程序，是最应该做的事，而且要一直一直的追问下去，在每个公众事件中追问下去。
饱醉豚 in bullog.cn echoed 五岳散人’s point.
杨佳杀人 案，大众需要呼吁或示威抗议的，是审理案子本身的程序问题。杨佳指定的证人吴钰骅等人未到场；对此案的取证至关重要的人物——杨佳的母亲，被绑架失踪；杨 佳的精神病鉴定单位和鉴定程序存在严重问题——一个应该回避的、不具备鉴定资格的单位，一天就做出结论而不是通常的一个月；该案的侦查过程中，参与者大多 是上海警方，他们是受害人的同事，本来也是应该回避的。
He concluded:
呼吁特赦杨佳，等于承认了上海法院审判的程序合法性。呼吁特赦，就是呼吁政府高层干涉司法。中国政府对杨佳类型的杀人犯进行大赦并无法律依据。