Yu Huaying, 61, was executed this Friday in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province in China, after being sentenced to death penalty for the kidnapping and sale of 17 minors between 1993 and 2003, reported the Guiyang Intermediate Court via the social network WeChat.
Yu’s execution took place after the Supreme Court of China reviewed and upheld the sentence, in a case that shocked public opinion and once again highlighted the persistent issue of child trafficking in the country.
Yu Huaying’s criminal record dates back to 2004, when she was arrested in Yunnan province while committing another crime under the false identity of Zhang Yun. At that time, she was sentenced to eight years in prison, but her sentence was reduced by three years, allowing her to regain freedom in 2009.
The case was reopened in 2022, thanks to the complaint of Yang Niuhua, a child trafficking victim who managed to locate her biological sister. Her testimony provided key evidence that led to the capture and prosecution of Yu, considered one of the biggest child traffickers in the region.
On September 18, 2023, Yu underwent a first trial where she was sentenced to death penalty. However, the Guizhou High People’s Court reviewed the case on January 8, 2024, and determined that some additional crimes had not been considered.
A new trial was held on October 11, 2024, in which the prosecution reaffirmed the request for capital punishment, arguing the severity of the crimes committed. Finally, the sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court, leading to the execution of the convict this Friday.
Before being executed, Yu had the opportunity to meet with her family members, in compliance with the regulations in China for those sentenced to the death penalty.
Investigations revealed that Yu Huaying operated in the provinces of Guizhou, Chongqing, and Yunnan, where she kidnapped children from vulnerable families to sell them for profit. Her modus operandi consisted of gaining the trust of the victims and their families, or in some cases, using force to take the minors.
Child trafficking in China is a long-standing issue, exacerbated by factors such as the former one-child policy and gender imbalance. According to the World Bank, in 2017, there was a surplus of 42 million men in China, which contributed to the proliferation of child trafficking and human trafficking networks. According to official data, between 2010 and 2019, 112,703 cases of women and child trafficking were recorded in the country.
In recent years, Chinese authorities have intensified the use of advanced technologies to solve human trafficking cases, including facial recognition, DNA testing, and national databases of missing persons. Thanks to these tools, many victims have been identified and reunited with their families after decades of separation. However, human rights organizations warn that the problem persists and that demand for minors remains high, especially in rural communities.
China does not publish official figures on the number of executions carried out each year. However, Amnesty International states that the country remains the world’s leading executioner, with thousands of death penalty sentences issued annually. The Chinese judicial system is known for its swiftness in applying capital punishment, and in cases of serious crimes such as child trafficking, sentences are often carried out swiftly after being upheld by the Supreme Court.
The case of Yu Huaying is one of the most high-profile in recent years. However, human rights experts warn that the root of the problem remains unresolved, as the demand for children remains high in China, driven by cultural and socio-economic factors.
