China reduces number of death penalties
China moves to reduce number of crimes punishable by death Human rights groups welcome proposals but say that 55 common offences remain unaffected Jonathan Watts in Beijing guardian.co.uk , Monday 23 August 2010 16.29 BST Article history If proposals are accepted, the crime of smuggling endangered animals such as the leatherback turtle (above) is one of those that will no longer be subject to the death penalty. Photograph: Natural England/PA China is moving to soften its image as the world’s biggest executioner by removing the death penalty for tax dodging, fiddling receipts and smuggling endangered animals. The maximum sentence for these and 10 other crimes that can currently be punished by lethal injection could be reduced to life imprisonment under a draft revision of the criminal code, which still has to be officially approved, the state media reported today.
阅读更多