Chinese authorities executed 41 people during an anti-corruption...

Chinese authorities executed 41 people during an anti-corruption campaign, newspapers reported.
On December 27, 10 people accused of murder were publicly executed in Xinjiang, in northwest China, while another eight have appealed their death sentence, according to the state-owned news agency, Xinhua.
On the same day, 12 others were put to death in Chengdu, the capital of the central province of Sichuan, the news agency added.
Another 13 people were executed for armed robbery and murder in the northern provinces of Heilongjiang and Shanxi. Among them were a former district attorney and four of his collaborators.
Four people in Tianjin, in northeastern China, and two others in the province of Sichuan, were put to death on December 28 for unspecified crimes.
The number of executions in China tends to increase during national holidays, especially Christmas and the Chinese New Year, as officials say the measures provide citizens with a greater sense of security.
Diplomats living in China who have examined newspapers said that about 2,000 people were put to death during the anti-corruption campaign between April and July.
Although officials do not publish specific statistics, Amnesty International said that more people are executed in China than in all the other countries combined.