Nie Shubin, a 21-year-old man who was executed after being found guilty of rape and homicide in a high-profile court case more than two decades ago, was pardoned on Dec 2, China's top court said.

The Second Circuit Court, a branch of the Supreme People's Court located in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, decided to retry the controversial case about six months ago.

On Friday morning, it declared Nie's acquittal on the basis of unclear facts and insufficient evidence.

Nie, who worked in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, was executed in 1995 after being convicted of the rape and murder a woman in the city in 1994.