Chinese man's rape and murder conviction overturned 21 years after his execution

Nie Shubin was killed in 1995 aged 20 after he was found guilty in Shijiazhuang, in Hebei province

China is currently the world’s top executioner with estimates suggesting more than 1,000 people faced the death penalty in 2015 (Getty)

A Chinese man has had his rape and murder conviction overturned, 21 years after being executed.

Nie Shubin was killed in 1995 aged 20 after he was found guilty of the crimes in Shijiazhuang, in Hebei province.

Mr Nie’s family have been campaigning for over two decades to clear his name and the Supreme Court finally ruled the evidence used in his trial was “unclear” and “insufficient”.

Eleven years previously another man claimed to have carried out the crime – but this was rejected, the BBC reported.

Wang Shujin, who had been sentenced to death for raping three women, two of whom he murdered, said he also committed the crime it was believed Mr Nie was responsible for.

Mr Wang appealed to delay his execution on the grounds he had not yet been prosecuted for the crime he committed in 1994 that Mr Nie was found guilty of.

Mr Nie’s case received a lot of media attention in China and has become synonymous with wrong convictions.

China is currently the world’s top executioner and estimates from Amnesty International suggest more than 1,000 people faced the death penalty in 2015.