China kills ‘thousands’

– China executed more people in 2016 than all other nations combined, Amnesty International said yesterday, as death penalties in the world decreased overall.

The human rights organisation estimates the Asian giant alone killed “thousands” of people, a figure based on examinations of court records and news reports. All other countries together executed at least 1 032 people last year – a decline of 37% compared to 2015.

China was one of four countries, along with Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, that were responsible for 87% of all executions last year, the activist group said.

Amnesty’s report found that hundreds of death sentences, including cases involving foreign nationals, had been omitted from China’s public database of court verdicts, suggesting a concerted effort to hide the extent of the country’s killings. The ruling Communist Party considers the death toll a state secret.

“China is really the only country that has such a complete regime of secrecy over executions,” Amnesty East Asia director Nicholas Bequelin said in Hong Kong. “Probably the reason is the numbers are shockingly high.” – AFP