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 13, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA PROMISES NOT TO EXECUTE CITIZEN IF REPATRIATED FROM CANADA
China promised not to sentence accused smuggler Lai Changxing to death because this was essential to have him repatriated from Canada, a Supreme Court spokesman said.
- MARCH 11, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. MORE CAUTIOUSLY HANDLING OF DEATH PENALTY CASES URGED
China's four major law enforcement agencies called for more cautiously handling death penalty cases by jointly issuing a document.
- MARCH 8, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
HIGH COURT UPHOLDS DEATH PENALTY FOR CHINESE STUDENT
Fukuoka High Court, in Japan, upheld the death penalty for a former vocational...
- FEBRUARY 27, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. HIGHEST COURT TO ORDER PROVINCES TO RETRY DEATH SENTENCES
China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) will send back cases involving death sentence to provincial courts for retrial if it finds errors in judgement, instead of directly changing the sentence, according to a regulation released by the SPC.
FEBRUARY 15, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA SENTENCES MAN TO DEATH IN ANT-BREEDING SCHEME
Chinese court has ordered the death penalty for a businessman accused of deceiving investors out of 385
FEBRUARY 8, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA. EXECUTION OF MUSLIM SEPARATIST
China executed an alleged Muslim separatist with a bullet through the heart. Ismail Semed, an Uighur from
- FEBRUARY 7, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
GANG MEMBERS CONVICTED IN CHINESE CRIME CASE
an organized crime boss was given a suspended death sentence in China.
- FEBRUARY 5, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
MAN GETS DEATH FOR KILLING PIMP
the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court sentenced a Chongqing Municipality man to death for murder and robbery.
- FEBRUARY 3, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
DEATH SENTENCE FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT
Dong Changyou, 51, a four-time ex-con and unemployed...
- FEBRUARY 1, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA DEFENDS USE OF DEATH PENALTY
China defended its use of the death penalty amid an international campaign urging the country to abolish capital punishment ahead of the 2008 Olympics.
- JANUARY 30, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
FORMER TOBACCO OFFICIAL SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR EMBEZZLEMENT IN EAST CHINA
a provincial court upheld the death sentence of a tobacco official in east China's Fulian Province.
- JANUARY 30, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
MAN SENTENCED TO REPRIEVED DEATH FOR SWINDLING NEARLY 12 MILLION YUAN IN EAST CHINA
a fraudster was sentenced to death with two years' reprieve, for swindling millions of yuan from over 300 people, according to a spokesman with the Nanchang People's Intermediate Court in east China's Jiangxi Province.
- JANUARY 25, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINESE COURT ORDERS DEATH PENALTY, JAIL TERMS FOR DRUG OFFENSES
a man surnamed Chen has been sentenced to death in southeast China's Fujian Province after being convicted of producing the illegal methamphetamine drug
- JANUARY 19, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINESE VILLAGER EXECUTED FOR SLAYING ONE WOMAN AND FOUR CHILDREN
a man, 52-year-old Liang Jiqian, who hacked to death a woman and four children with a firewood chopper last April in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has been executed.
- JANUARY 17, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINESE COURT SENTENCES 1 JAPANESE, 2 CHINESE TO DEATH IN DRUGS CASE
a Chinese court sentenced a Japanese man and his two Chinese accomplices to death for attempting to smuggle drugs from China to Japan...
- JANUARY 15, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
OIL THIEVES TO FACE DEATH PENALTY
serious cases of oil and gas theft could result in the death penalty, according to a legal document released by the Supreme People's Court recently.
- JANUARY 11, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING TWO PUPILS IN NORTHWEST CHINA
a local court sentenced a man to death for killing two students in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in revenge for the death of his daughter.
- JANUARY 9, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING TAXI PASSENGERS
a court in south China sentenced a motorcycle-taxi driver to death for killing his wife and a neighbour and robbing, sexually assaulting and murdering eight woman passengers, state media said.
JANUARY 9, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTYFOUR EXECUTED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING IN SOUTH CHINA
four people were executed for drug trafficking in Yulin, a city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Chen Lizhen was one of four people convicted of trafficking 65 kilograms of heroin from
- JANUARY 4, 2007FranceDEATH PENALTY
ROW ERUPTS OVER FRANCE-CHINA EXTRADITION TREATY
rights groups raised a chorus of alarm over French plans to sign an extradition treaty with China, despite the Asian giant's dismal record on prisoners' rights and widespread use of the death penalty.
- JANUARY 1, 2007ChinaDEATH 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, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. MAN EXECUTED FOR RAPE, MURDER OF CHILDREN
Gong Runbo, 33, was executed in northeast China.
- DECEMBER 30, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. MAN EXECUTED FOR BEATING POLICEMAN TO DEATH
Zhou Chuanquan, convicted of beating a policeman to death...
- DECEMBER 30, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. TWO EXECUTED FOR BLASTS AT INTERNET CAFES
China executed two men found guilty of causing explosions at two Internet cafes in central China that killed two people.
- DECEMBER 29, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINESE COURT SENTENCES 11 TO DEATH
a central Chinese court sentenced 11 people to death for their involvement in a range of gangster activities involving homicide and drug trading...
- DECEMBER 28, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
JAPANESE MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH IN CHINA ON DRUG SMUGGLING CHARGES
a court in China sentenced a Japanese man to death on drug smuggling charges...
- DECEMBER 28, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. FARMER EXECUTED FOR TEMPLE KILLINGS
China executed a farmer for killing 10 people in a temple, including the abbot whom he believed had flirted with his wife.
- DECEMBER 28, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA SENTENCES SEVEN TO DEATH FOR GANG CRIME
ninety-seven members of a criminal gang were sentenced to death or prison terms ranging from 12 months to life on charges including murder, causing injury and drug trafficking in central China's Hunan Province.
- DECEMBER 23, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. WOMAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER OF IN-LAWS
a woman has been sentenced to death by the Shanghai Higher People's Court...
- DECEMBER 20, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. MAN WHO SLEW 12 IN NORTH EAST CHINA EXECUTED
Shi Yuejun, a man convicted of killing 12 people and injuring five others in northeast China's Jilin Province, was executed. Shi, 36, was convicted of intentional homicide by Liuhe County People's Court on November 25.