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China's legal bodies want cut in executions

China should reduce its use of the death penalty and stop humiliating death-row prisoners with public parades, the state's top legal bodies have declared ahead of their annual report to parliament tomorrow. In an apparent move towards a more humane justice system, the supreme court, chief prosecutor and ministries of police and justice have also called for an end to the use of torture in police interrogations.

China accounts for at least 75% of all the executions in the world, but the true scale is hidden. Based on reports, Amnesty International says China executed at least 1,770 people in 2005. Including unreported killings, estimates of the annual death toll rise to 10,000.

The report calls for more caution over death sentencing, saying its application should be "gradually" reduced. "Where there is a possibility someone should not be executed then without exception the person should not be killed." The legal bodies have called for tighter implementation of rules on interrogation and evidence-gathering. Confessions obtained through torture will be inadmissible.

Human rights groups questioned whether the guidelines would be implemented. "What is needed are fundamental structural reforms," said Mark Allison, of Amnesty International.