China Pledges to Reduce Death Sentences

[Coventina]

Source: New York Times

BEIJING — China, which executes more people than any other country, says it will show more leniency to those given death sentences, state media reported Wednesday.

In a series of interviews, the vice president of the Supreme People’s Court said that China was not ready to abolish capital punishment but that the penalty should be reserved for a small number of serious crimes, particularly those that threaten social stability.

More than 60 crimes can draw the death penalty in China, including tax evasion, embezzlement and drug trafficking, but the government does not release figures on the number of executions, many of which take place immediately after trials that legal experts say are unfair and lack transparency.

“Judicial departments should use the least number of death sentences as possible, and death penalties should not be given to those having a reason for not being executed,” Zhang Jun, the court’s vice president, was quoted as saying in the newspaper China Daily.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/world/asia/30china.html

[valerief]

1. Today China. Tomorrow Texas. nt

[awoke_in_2003]

7. don't bank on it

:(

[valerief]

8. I see you're from the secession state. My sympathies. nt

[awoke_in_2003]

11. I am from the state...

where most believe the myth that Texas was allowed to secede at a later date, if they so chose, when the joined the union. The truth is Texas reserves the right to divide into 5 states, not leave the union. But you can't tell that to a lot of folks here.

[valerief]

12. I was just referring to your secessionist governator. I should have been clearer. nt

[awoke_in_2003]

13. oh, I know...

just wanted you to know that it is so steeped in Texas culture that even a governor could believe it :hi:

[Coventina]

2. I guess DU has supporters of China's heavy-handed DP.

:eyes:

[David__77]

4. Why do you guess that?

Just curious...

[Coventina]

5. Because this thread is "unrecommended". n/t

[David__77]

3. That's good.

There's been a bit of a stir among the Chinese social scientists to reduce the death sentences or even eliminate them. I think that it would do a lot to elevate China's prestige were it to do so.

[Uncle Joe]

6. Kicked and who knows if I recommended it, I can't tell?

:shrug:

[rollingrock]

9. The death penalty should be reserved for

...health insurance company executives and bankers.

[damntexdem]

10. Will they instead only kill people 50%?

Or maybe just cut the lengths of their sentences before their executions. ;-)

With regard to the death penalty, China is nearly as bad as Texas. ;-)