The Supreme Court will no longer permit provincial courts to review death sentences so as to ensure that capital punishment is meted out meticulously and fairly, Chief Justice Xiao Yang, also president of the Supreme People’s Court, said Tuesday.
“The death sentence is the most serious level of penalty for criminals. It is reserved for felons guilty of the most atrocious crimes,” Xiao said at a legislative hearing on court work.
China still practices capital punishment as a deterrent to preserve social stability, but “as few executions as possible should be carried out and as cautiously as possible, in order to avoid wrongful executions,” the top judge said.
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