China
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Retentionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 0
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 0
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · In January, the Nanyang Intermediate People's Court...
- News items in the archive
- 2,796
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
China is classified as Retentionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 0 executions in the country, against 0 the year before. The archive holds 2,796 news items on China, from 1999 to today.
China is believed to carry out more executions than any other country, but the figure is a state secret: no official statistics exist, and the known cases are those reported by the press or heard in public trials. Capital punishment applies to a large number of offences, including economic and drug offences, and the system also provides for a death sentence with a two year suspension, which in practice is often converted into life imprisonment.
The news on this page is a small part of what happens, and it is the part that can be documented.
Latest news
- AUGUST 13, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINESE GETS DEATH FOR FATAL BUS BLAZE
the intermediate people's court in Changsha, in central China's Hunan Province...
- AUGUST 13, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: BEIJING COURT REJECTS DEATH-ROW COMMERCE OFFICIAL' S APPEAL
the Beijing Higher People's Court in China rejected the appeal of former Ministry of Commerce senior inspector Guo Jingyi, 44, against his May 2010 death sentence for accepting bribes valued at about 8.45 million yuan between 1998 and 2007.
- AUGUST 13, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: OFFICIAL GETS DEATH SENTENCE
a Chinese court sentenced former senior city economic planner Pi Qiansheng to a suspended death and confiscated his property for taking bribes and abusing his power, state news agency Xinhua said.
- AUGUST 11, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH IN SW CHINA GANG CRACKDOWN
in Chongqing Municipality, China, the No. 5 Intermediate People's Court sentenced an unidentified man to a suspended death sentence in a prostitution and gang case that has already seen two women sentenced to death
- AUGUST 11, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINESE WOMEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR PROSTITUTION RING
a Chinese court sentenced two women...
- AUGUST 10, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
SOUTH CHINA COURT SENTENCES MAN TO DEATH FOR MURDER
Hu Yihua, 29, was sentenced to death by the intermediate people's court in Jieyang City of Guangdong, south China, for shooting four people dead, including two traffic policemen, on July 2 and 5, 2010.
- AUGUST 7, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: FRENCH CITIZEN GETS DEATH FOR DRUG TRADE IN CHINA
Chinese-born French citizen Chan Thao Phoumy, 47, and Xie Weiming, were sentenced to death by the Intermediate People's Court in Guangzhou, China Daily reported.
- AUGUST 5, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
Wu Hsiang-Ming, 38, from Dazu County, Chongqing...
Wu Hsiang-Ming, 38, from Dazu County, Chongqing...
- AUGUST 3, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
FORMER OFFICIAL SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDERING MISTRESS IN EAST CHINA
the Intermediate People's Court of Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province in China, sentenced Xie Zaixing, 48, former chief of the Communist Party of China Committee in Ouhai District, Wenzhou City, to death.
- JULY 26, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
GANG BOSS GETS DEATH SENTENCE IN SOUTHWEST CHINA
gang boss Yang Jue, 32, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve...
- JULY 23, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: FORMER TOP PROVINCIAL POLITICAL ADVISOR GIVEN SUSPENDED DEATH SENTENCE
Chen Shaoji, former top political advisor of south China's Guangdong Province, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for corruption by the Chongqing No.1 Intermediate People's Court.
JULY 23, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA 'MAY REVIEW EXECUTION POLICY CHANGES'
China is considering reviewing the number of crimes which attract the death penalty, a report
- JULY 21, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR COURTROOM STABBINGS
the Tongren Intermediate People's Court sentenced He Shengkai, 30, to death for a murder, in southwestern China's Guizhou Province.
- JULY 16, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: MAN EXECUTED FOR GUN TRADING
Wu Zhiqiao was executed in eastern China for illegally making and selling firearms
- JULY 14, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA COURT UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR BILLIONAIRE
in China, the Heilongjiang Provincial Higher People's Court upheld the death sentence of Wang Wenxiang, founder and chairman of Xinheng Group, for hiring two people to murder former business partner Zhong Yishi on May 18, 2009.
- JULY 9, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINESE MAN LOSES DEATH SENTENCE APPEAL
the Foshan Municipal Intermediate People's Court in south China's Guangdong Province rejected the appeal by Cheng Ruilong, 37, against his death sentence.
- JULY 7, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA 'EXECUTES' JUSTICE OFFICIAL
China executed Wen Qiang, former head of the judiciary in the Chongqing region...
- JUNE 28, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINESE VENDOR APPEALS AGAINST DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING 'THUG' LAW ENFORCERS
an unlicensed food vendor in China will appeal against his death sentence over the killing two local security officers.
JUNE 23, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA: PAIR EXECUTED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
two men convicted of selling and trafficking 12,242 grams of heroin to Taiwan were executed
JUNE 23, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA EXECUTES DEALERS AHEAD OF INT'L ANTI-DRUG DAY
six men were executed in southeast China's Fujian Province ahead of the International
- JUNE 14, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
TWO MEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING CHINESE TRANSPORT OFFICIAL
in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Bai Yuku and Xu Guangdong were sentenced to death for murdering transport official Li Xingguang on August 17, 2009, local court officials announced.
- JUNE 11, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA SENTENCES MAN TO DEATH FOR SCHOOL ATTACK
the Intermediate People's Court of Zhanjiang City in Guangdong...
- JUNE 11, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH IN CHINA FOR VIOLENT ATTACK
Zhou Yezhong, 36, accused of fatally stabbing eight people, including three of his family members on May 8, 2010, was sentenced to death at a court in east China's Jiangxi province.
- JUNE 8, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: SENIOR JUDGE URGES COURT TO USE STRICT EVIDENCE STANDARDS
a Chinese Supreme People's Court (SPC) official said courts must apply the
MAY 30, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA: NEW RULES ON CONFESSION TO LIMIT DEATH SENTENCES
Evidence obtained illegally - such as through torture during interrogation - cannot
MAY 28, 2010VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: DRUG SMUGGLERS SENTENCED TO DEATH
five Chinese men were sentenced to death by the People's Court of northern Quang
- MAY 27, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
DEATH SENTENCE FOR MURDER
two people in China were given suspended death sentences by a court in the southwestern province of Yunnan for pushing a mentally ill man into a coal mine shaft and then posing as his family members to get compensation for his death.
- MAY 27, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: EXECUTION UPHELD FOR ATTACK
the Taizhou Intermediate People's Court in Jiangsu Province, China...
- MAY 26, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: TIBETAN GETS SUSPENDED DEATH SENTENCE FOR RIOTS
the Lhasa Intermediate People’s Court in China sentenced Tibetan Sonam Tsering
- MAY 25, 2010ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINESE COURT BACKS DEATH SENTENCE FOR GANG BOSS
in China, the Chongqing Municipal Higher People's Court upheld the death sentence of Chen Mingliang for running a mafia-style ring engaged in prostitution, drug-trafficking, gambling, kidnapping, among other crimes.