CHINA HAS SCALED DOWN DEATH PENALTY AND INCREASED CHECKS SINCE 2012, GOV’T REPORT SAYS

China says that it has scaled down its use of capital punishment since 2012 and second trials of death penalty cases have all been conducted in open courts. The country has also put tighter checks on the death penalty, according to a government report on its 2012-2015 human rights action plan.
An oversight office to review death penalty cases was established in 2012 in an effort to increase checks on legal procedures related to the death penalty, according to the report, released on June 14.
A criminal law amendment adopted last year cancelled the death penalties for nine crimes, reducing the number of crimes eligible for the death penalty from 55 to 46.
The nine crimes include smuggling weapons, ammunition, nuclear materials or counterfeit currency; counterfeiting currency; raising funds by means of fraud; arranging for or forcing another person to engage in prostitution; obstructing a police officer or a person on duty from performing his duties; and fabricating rumors to mislead others during wartime.
The government also announced on the same day that it is formulating its human rights action plan for 2016-2020, China’s third such national plan.