What human rights legacy for the Beijing Olympic Games?
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Death Penalty
China introduced an important reform to its death penalty system on 1 January 2007 by restoring the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) final review of all death sentences passed in China. The authorities claim the SPC have rejected 15 percent of death sentences passed by lower courts.
Official figures on death sentences and executions in China are considered state secrets. In 2007, Amnesty International recorded at least 470 executions but this number is based on available public reports and is an absolute minimum.
Reliable estimates based on figures from local officials suggest that around 6,000 people were executed in 2007.
Around 68 crimes are punishable by death in China, including non-violent offences such as tax fraud, embezzling, accepting bribes and some drug-related crimes.
Chinese diplomats have stated that the government intends to abolish the death penalty, eventually, when social and economic conditions allow. The government insists that the penalty is used “sparingly” and “prudently”.
Despite the restoration of Supreme People’s Court review, those facing the death penalty in China do not receive a fair trial in accordance with international human rights standards. Failings include: lack of prompt access to lawyers and failure to exclude evidence extracted under torture.