CHINA CONSIDERS CASH FOR CLEMENCY

Under pressure to reduce its huge number of annual executions as it prepares to host the 2008 Olympic games, China has been experimenting with commuting death penalties to life sentences in exchange for compensation.
But the practice is proving contentious. A string of cases in the southern province of Guangdong where convicted murderers were given amnesty in exchange for cash paid to the victims' families created a storm of controversy earlier this year.
Similar practices have also been reported in the coastal provinces of Shandong and Zhejiang. "The fate of criminals now seems to be determined by the depth of their pockets," lamented Le Lan, a teacher at the Southwest University for Nationalities. "The seriousness of law has been destroyed, further undermining the public's understanding of justice." Ironically, the publicising of the practice appears to have achieved an effect opposite to the one desired. It has ignited debates about social inequality at a time of deep divisions in Chinese society caused by mounting income disparity. "The poor crime victims have no option but to accept the money," an online writer calling himself "Rule of Law" wrote recently on www.sina.com, one of China's most popular news portals. Chinese authorities classify the number of court-ordered executions as a state secret. But Chinese legal experts believe the number of executions could be as high as 10,000 a year. More than 60 offences -- including non-violent offences like corruption and tax evasion -- are punishable by death.