China Upholds Use Of Death Penalty

Amnesty International places China on the top of its list of countries with most executions. In 2007 alone, Amnesty International reported at least 470 executions as a result of imposition of death penalty. Despite the world wide report of Amnesty International, China announced its affirmation to the issue of imposing death penalty to criminals.

The figure reported in 2007 was a decrease in the 2006 report where 477 were reported to be executed. Analyst on amnesties posits that the decrease in the number may only be temporary and even believes that the actual number is kept secret as death penalty figures in China are considered state secrets.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Jiang Yu was the one who stated the China’s position on the matter, saying “It is not yet time for China to abolish the death penalty considering that the said punishment is widely accepted by its citizens.”

There are more than 60 crimes and offenses in China that are punishable by death and among these are murder, drug trafficking, corruption and other financial offenses.