China defended its use of the death penalty Tuesday, after an Amnesty International report said it carried out the most executions worldwide in 2007.
Chinese authorities executed at least 470 people last year but may have killed as
many as 8,000, according to a report by Amnesty International. The human rights
group says executions were often hidden and that on average China secretly executes
22 prisoners a day, with most killed by a gunshot to the back of the head or by lethal injection.
China responded to the report by saying it tightly controls the use of the death penalty and has no plans to abolish it.
“We have strictly controlled and taken a prudent attitude toward the death penalty to ensure that the death penalty only applies to a small number of criminals who commit serious crimes,” said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.
“Conditions are not right” to abolish the death penalty, said Jiang, adding that such a move wouldn’t be accepted by the Chinese people.
Amnesty International said some of the executions were for non-violent crimes such as tax evasion, smuggling and organizing prostitution.
While China’s total number of executions is down from 1,010 in 2006, Amnesty International warned the 2007 number could be higher because China considers death penalty data a state secret and doesn’t make the information public.
“The secretive use of the death penalty must stop: the veil of secrecy surrounding the death penalty must be lifted. Many governments claim that executions take place with public support. People therefore have a right to know what is being done in their name,” said Amnesty International.
Activists have used protests against the Olympic torch relay to draw attention to China’s human rights record, including a recent crackdown in Tibet.
The report said 88 per cent of all known executions took place in five countries:
* China (at least 470).
* Iran (at least 317).
* Saudi Arabia (at least 143).
* Pakistan (at least 135).
* U.S. (42).
Saudia Arabia carried out the most executions per capita, while Iran, Saudia Arabia and Yemen violated international law by executing people younger than 18, said the report.
The organization said at least 1,252 people were executed in 24 countries. Around the world, up to 27,500 people are estimated to be on death row.
