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
MARCH 1, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA. SICHUAN ADOPTS 'HUMANE' NEEDLE OF DEATH
the capital city of southwestern China's Sichuan Province will formally
FEBRUARY 28, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA BRINGS OUT WHITE PAPER ON RULE OF LAW
China came out with a White Paper spiritedly hailing the Communist nation's
FEBRUARY 26, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA. OPEN LETTER TO THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS
the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and the Anti-Death Penalty Asia
- FEBRUARY 4, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
the People’s High Court in Liaoning, China...
the People’s High Court in Liaoning, China...
- FEBRUARY 1, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
an unidentified man was sentenced to death in China for the murder of Tatiana Doronina...
an unidentified man was sentenced to death in China for the murder of Tatiana Doronina...
- JANUARY 31, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
a former senior legislator from east China's Jiangsu Province was sentenced to
a former senior legislator from east China's Jiangsu Province was sentenced to
JANUARY 31, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA. THREE INDONESIANS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR CARRYING DRUGS
Chinese courts sentenced three Indonesian women to death for bringing
JANUARY 22, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA. TWO UGANDAN CITIZENS PARDONED
China pardoned two Ugandan women on death row in the communist state
- JANUARY 21, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA SAYS DEATH PENALTY FAIRER AFTER KEY REFORM
China is using the death penalty more prudently following a key legal reform
JANUARY 21, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA. EX JUDGE CALLS FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY
after 10 years on China's highest court, the Supreme People's Court, Xuan Dong
- JANUARY 16, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINESE EX-LAWMAKER SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR RAPES
a former Chinese lawmaker was sentenced to death for raping over 20 middle-school girls as part of a superstitious practice to prolong his virility, state press said
- JANUARY 16, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA PAYS $11.56 A DAY TO WOMAN WRONGLY JAILED
China has awarded exactly 66,593.36 yuan ($9,200)
- JANUARY 15, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
TWO MEN SENTENCED TO DEATH IN CHINA FOR MURDER OF MISTRESS
a former Chinese government official was sentenced to death for ordering his driver to kill his mistress, a court official and state media said.
- JANUARY 10, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINESE PROSECUTOR SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR TAKING BRIBES
a former prosecutor in northern China was sentenced to death for taking bribes and embezzling funds totalling $2.66m
- JANUARY 8, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
the ex-director of the Chinese State Administration of Food and Medicine...
the ex-director of the Chinese State Administration of Food and Medicine...
- JANUARY 7, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: MAN GETS SUSPENDED DEATH SENTENCE FOR FATAL DETONATOR BLAST
a court in Hohhot in northern China imposed the death penalty with a two year reprieve on a man who was held responsible for a detonator blast that killed five people at the end of 2006.
- JANUARY 4, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
AMNESTY CONDEMNS CHINA OVER LETHAL INJECTION
Amnesty International condemned China's decision to expand lethal injections to replace execution by gunshot in the year of the Beijing Olympics, saying the real focus should be on abolishing the death penalty.
JANUARY 3, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA TO EXPAND LETHAL INJECTIONS
China is to expand the use of lethal injections to replace execution by shooting
- JANUARY 1, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
A revised Criminal Procedure Law came into force in January 1997
A revised Criminal Procedure Law came into force in January 1997
- DECEMBER 31, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: DEATH SENTENCE FOR TAKING BRIBES
Wang Zheng, the former deputy head of Yuzhong District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality...
- DECEMBER 30, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: MAN GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR 8 MURDERS
a villager from northwest China's Gansu Province was sentenced to death for a series of murders that included six people in his village and a taxi driver and a prostitute elsewhere in the province.
- DECEMBER 28, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
FORMER EAST CHINA PROVINCE VICE-GOVERNOR SENTENCED TO DEATH WITH TWO-YEAR REPRIEVE
a local court of east China's Shandong Province handed down a death penalty with a two-year reprieve to He Minxu...
- DECEMBER 27, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MULTIPLE MURDER IN GUIZHOU
a man was sentenced to death for murdering a county head, four of his relatives and a nursemaid in southwest China's Guizhou Province.
- DECEMBER 20, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CORRUPT CHINA PROSECUTOR GETS SUSPENDED DEATH PENALTY
a Chinese court handed down a suspended death sentence to a former top prosecutor...
- DECEMBER 20, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
DEATH SENTENCE GETS SUSPENDED IN SHANGHAI CASE
in China, the former chairman of one of Shanghai's biggest industrial companies...
- DECEMBER 20, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: MAN EXECUTED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Zhou Liji, who had served time for fraud and larceny, was executed in China for drug trafficking, the Shanghai Daily said.
- DECEMBER 19, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
THREE SENTENCED TO DEATH IN CHINA FOR MURDER
a government official and his two accomplices were sentenced to death in China for murder...
- DECEMBER 18, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINESE COUPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR FORCING PUPILS INTO PROSTITUTION
China's most wanted couple were sentenced to death in southwest China's Guizhou Province for forcing 23 girls...
- DECEMBER 18, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: SHANGHAI'S TOP CRIME BOSS EXECUTED
Li Bin, 41, the self-proclaimed "King of Shanghai's underworld" was executed after the Supreme Court...
- DECEMBER 18, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
China voted against the Resolution on a Moratorium...
China voted against the Resolution on a Moratorium...