China 'gold medal' for executions
Byrnzie
Posts: 21,037
U.S comes in 5th as the most barbaric country in the world
Monday, 14 April 2008 00:35 UK
China 'gold medal' for executions
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7346938.stm
The Chinese authorities put to death at least 470 people last year, but may have killed up to 8,000, human rights group Amnesty International has said.
Amnesty said the hidden extent of executions in China, where figures are secret, might mean the Olympic host was behind the bulk of them worldwide.
"The veil of secrecy surrounding the death penalty must be lifted," it said.
At least 1,252 people are known to have been executed in 24 countries in 2007, a slight drop on the previous year.
Just five countries - China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the US - were responsible for 88% of known executions in the world, Amnesty said.
About 3,347 people were sentenced to death in 51 nations last year and up to 27,500 people are now estimated to be on death row.
In its annual report on the death penalty, Amnesty International said China had executed more than any country last year, but warned that the real figure was likely to be several thousand.
"As the world's biggest executioner, China gets the 'gold medal' for global executions," said the organisation's UK director, Kate Allen.
Many governments claim that executions take place with public support - people therefore have a right to know what is being done in their name
"According to reliable estimates, on average China secretly executes around 22 prisoners every day - that's 374 people during the Olympic Games," she added.
More than 60 crimes can carry the death penalty in China, including tax fraud, stealing VAT receipts, damaging electric power facilities, selling counterfeit medicine, embezzlement, accepting bribes and drug offences, Amnesty said.
Those sentenced to death are usually shot, but some provinces are introducing lethal injections, which the government says is more humane.
The BBC's Quentin Sommerville, in Beijing, says justice is usually swift - most of those sentenced to death are executed only weeks after they are found guilty.
The death penalty has popular support in China, our correspondent says, and the government has been attempting to reform the system.
Last year, it decreed that all cases involving the death penalty had to be referred to the Supreme Court. According to state media, this led to a 10% fall in executions in the first five months of 2007.
Amnesty urged the International Olympic Committee and athletes to press for greater openness about executions during the Olympic Games in Beijing this August.
"The secretive use of the death penalty must stop: the veil of secrecy surrounding the death penalty must be lifted," it added.
"Many governments claim that executions take place with public support. People therefore have a right to know what is being done in their name."
Iran was second to China with 317 known executions during 2007, the report said, followed by Saudi Arabia on 143, Pakistan on 135 and the US on 42.
Amnesty said the totals had risen alarmingly in Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, but that worldwide they showed a drop - down to 1,252 from 1,591 the previous year.
The executions in Iran included the stoning to death of a man for adultery, and the execution of three people who were teenagers aged between 13 and 16 at the time of their arrests, it added.
In Saudi Arabia, those killed included a child offender aged 15 or 16 at the time of his detention, and an Egyptian man who was beheaded for "sorcery" and adultery - one of at least 76 foreigners executed by the Gulf kingdom.
Despite the statistics, Amnesty welcomed the wider trend toward the global abolition of the death penalty, noting that in December 2007, the UN General Assembly had voted by a large majority in favour of a resolution calling for an end to capital punishment.
"The taking of life by the state is one of the most drastic acts a government can undertake. We are urging all governments to follow the commitments made at the UN and abolish the death penalty once and for all," it added.
Monday, 14 April 2008 00:35 UK
China 'gold medal' for executions
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7346938.stm
The Chinese authorities put to death at least 470 people last year, but may have killed up to 8,000, human rights group Amnesty International has said.
Amnesty said the hidden extent of executions in China, where figures are secret, might mean the Olympic host was behind the bulk of them worldwide.
"The veil of secrecy surrounding the death penalty must be lifted," it said.
At least 1,252 people are known to have been executed in 24 countries in 2007, a slight drop on the previous year.
Just five countries - China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the US - were responsible for 88% of known executions in the world, Amnesty said.
About 3,347 people were sentenced to death in 51 nations last year and up to 27,500 people are now estimated to be on death row.
In its annual report on the death penalty, Amnesty International said China had executed more than any country last year, but warned that the real figure was likely to be several thousand.
"As the world's biggest executioner, China gets the 'gold medal' for global executions," said the organisation's UK director, Kate Allen.
Many governments claim that executions take place with public support - people therefore have a right to know what is being done in their name
"According to reliable estimates, on average China secretly executes around 22 prisoners every day - that's 374 people during the Olympic Games," she added.
More than 60 crimes can carry the death penalty in China, including tax fraud, stealing VAT receipts, damaging electric power facilities, selling counterfeit medicine, embezzlement, accepting bribes and drug offences, Amnesty said.
Those sentenced to death are usually shot, but some provinces are introducing lethal injections, which the government says is more humane.
The BBC's Quentin Sommerville, in Beijing, says justice is usually swift - most of those sentenced to death are executed only weeks after they are found guilty.
The death penalty has popular support in China, our correspondent says, and the government has been attempting to reform the system.
Last year, it decreed that all cases involving the death penalty had to be referred to the Supreme Court. According to state media, this led to a 10% fall in executions in the first five months of 2007.
Amnesty urged the International Olympic Committee and athletes to press for greater openness about executions during the Olympic Games in Beijing this August.
"The secretive use of the death penalty must stop: the veil of secrecy surrounding the death penalty must be lifted," it added.
"Many governments claim that executions take place with public support. People therefore have a right to know what is being done in their name."
Iran was second to China with 317 known executions during 2007, the report said, followed by Saudi Arabia on 143, Pakistan on 135 and the US on 42.
Amnesty said the totals had risen alarmingly in Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, but that worldwide they showed a drop - down to 1,252 from 1,591 the previous year.
The executions in Iran included the stoning to death of a man for adultery, and the execution of three people who were teenagers aged between 13 and 16 at the time of their arrests, it added.
In Saudi Arabia, those killed included a child offender aged 15 or 16 at the time of his detention, and an Egyptian man who was beheaded for "sorcery" and adultery - one of at least 76 foreigners executed by the Gulf kingdom.
Despite the statistics, Amnesty welcomed the wider trend toward the global abolition of the death penalty, noting that in December 2007, the UN General Assembly had voted by a large majority in favour of a resolution calling for an end to capital punishment.
"The taking of life by the state is one of the most drastic acts a government can undertake. We are urging all governments to follow the commitments made at the UN and abolish the death penalty once and for all," it added.
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I find it amusing that you HAD to start this thread with a jab at the U.S., while using an article about China.
And it doesn't make us the 5th "most barbaric" country. Just the 5th in the ranks of executions. I think there are PLENTY of coutries that have many customs/practices that would put them WAAAAAYYY up there in the ranks of barbarism. Don't you? And what's the point of "ranking" them?? Humans in general can be barbaric. And some can be beautiful.
http://blogs.smh.com.au/environment/archives/2008/04/how_can_civilised_countries_be.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_killing
http://www.worldandi.com/newhome/public/2003/may/clpub.asp
Just a few examples.
www.myspace.com/jensvad
Government endorsed murder is barbaric. Deal with it. As for modern, first world, western countries, the US is numero uno!
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people are sentenced to death in America by a jury (not the government), and always for committing a horrific crime in the first place. does that make it right? no, its debatable. and we are only first in the "west" based on sheer size. we are the biggest. but I did also find it laughable that the thread starter would start a thread on china only to mention how bad America is. bravo.
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
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I'm not gonna argue with you here just for the sake of arguing, but I'm genuinely interested to know if this size-quantity equation you mention has any validity.
america has a population of 300 million. much bigger then any other "western" country. juries in america sent 42 people to death. thats 0.00000014% of the population. all of these people were convicted of a horrific crime. (murder, child rape, etc) personally, I wish we would get rid of it, but its far from barbaric.
Right, so add together the populations of the UK, Germany, Spain, France and Italy and guess who still comes out on top in the execution game. You emphasis on the juries issuing the sentence is irrelevant. The juries do not decide the law, the juries do not say that it is legal to sentence someone to death. That's the government's decision, regardless of how you want to spin it.
Fact is, the US is waaaaaaay behind the curve when it comes to attitudes towards and implementation of the death penalty.
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it is relevant. in china, pakistan, and Iran there are no jury trails. the government picks up anyone they deem dissenters and execute them.
Canada only has a population of 30,000,000. But not one person was executed. Is crime worse there? Hell no!
And I see from your other posts you keep wanting to compare the U.S. with countries like Iran and China?! You must be so proud????!!!
I'm not comparing them. just stating the differences among the names on the top of the list because someone said using a jury was irrelevant.
I'm strongly against the death penalty.
I think there are many governments and countries that are way worse than the U.S.!! But if we want to be a global leader then we need to be modern and progressive when it comes to things like human rights and civil liberties.
The death penalty needs to be abolished now. Because for every 100 scum bags that are put to death rather than incarcerated for life, it's not worth the mistake that can be made by executing someone who is innocent. Our justice system is far from perfect.
I understand that you're against the death penalty and that's great, but you're doing what loads of Americans do whenever they are faced with an uncomfortable truth that may contradict the idea that they've had implanted in their head since birth: that the US is the greatest country in the world. When this happens, the majority of Americans will make their arguments by comparing their country to second and third world countries, somehow ignoring the fact that there are many other first world nations with higher standards of living- and/or moral high ground- than the US has.
I'm not attacking you, really, this happens a lot and I really wish Americans would push for more than to be better than developing world or dictator-run countries.
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I agree.
You nailed it.
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
(\__/)
( o.O)
(")_(")
I suppose I'm more disgusted at the hypocrisy of America when it comes to this issue, more than anything else. America regards itself as a Christian country, but nothing could be further from the truth.
The sentence " America regards itself as a Christian country" confuses me. Do you base that upon our money saying "In god we trust"? On what?? I think America regards itself as a country open to and allowing of ALL religions. I personally only know a handful of people who are active "Christians". Sure, most people would probably check the box marked "christian" on a form if asked, but..........otherwise that seems like a generalization intended to crucify (no pun intended) America as a whole.
Im no christian.
Im no jew.
Im no muslim.
Im human.
What are you?
You definitely dislike those who say things such as "well these muslim countries are just doing what their religion teaches, to be intolerant and to kill disbelievers." Yet you have no problem it seems basing how a country like the US should act based upon their predominant religion. Ironic. I think.
Religions on the way out in this day and age.
Thank god.
www.myspace.com/jensvad
Funnily enough, I did have that in mind. That, and George Bush's quasi-religious rantings, and the fact that a majority of Americans are bible thumpers.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_Christians_are_there_in_the_USA
Polling data from the 2001 ARIS study, described below, indicate that:
81% of American adults identify themselves with a specific religion: 76.5% (159 million) of Americans identify themselves as Christian. Source: <http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_prac2.htm>
I was simply pointing out the hypocrisy of a country, the majority of whom profess to be 'Christian', that murders it's own citizens.
I'm not so sure. There appears to be an ever growing number of 'religious' fruitcakes in the world today.
US court backs lethal injection
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7350982.stm
The US Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to the use of lethal injections to execute prisoners.
The court rejected by 7-2 the case made by two death row inmates in the state of Kentucky.
They sued the state in 2004, saying the commonly-used combination of three chemical injections violated the US constitution's ban on cruel punishment.
Executions across the country have been put on hold since September, when the court agreed to hear the case.
During an execution by lethal injection, the inmate is given three drugs - a sedative, another that paralyses all muscles except the heart and a final drug which stops the heart, causing death.
States began using the three-drug method in 1978 as an alternative to historic methods of execution such as electrocution.
However, in recent years there have been botched lethal injection executions in Florida and California, in which inmates took up to 30 minutes to die.
A 2005 study also sparked controversy by suggesting the amount of sedation given might not be enough to stop the inmate feeling the painful effects of the other drugs - but would prevent him crying out.