CHINA. COURTS ORDERED TO RESTRICT USE OF DEATH PENALTY

in China's latest move to control the use of the death penalty, the chief justice urged courts to exercise extreme caution when sentencing people to death, saying that every judgement must stand the test of time.
"In cases where the judge has legal leeway to decide whether to order death, he should always choose not to do so," said Xiao Yang, President of China's Supreme People's Court.
Xiao said a bullet to the back of head should be reserved for only an "extremely small number" of serious offenders.
If a convict surrenders to the police or helps them solve crimes the judge should generally not pass a sentence of death, the chief justice said.
Xiao also ruled out the possibility of abolishing the death penalty as a number of legal experts and human rights groups have urged.
"The conditions are not yet ripe for China to ban the death penalty. It is still a necessary means to ensure the safety of the state and protect the people," he said.