The president of the Supreme People's Court reported to the
current session of the Standing Committee of the 10th National
People's Congress yesterday, saying it would continue to be
cautious in giving death sentences in an attempt to ensure human
rights
"Although China still has the death penalty to punish severe
criminals, we will try to execute less people to avoid unjust
cases," Xiao
Yang told legislators, adding that, "Judgments that are found
to lack sufficient evidence will be submitted for a new trial."
If criminals can be given a lighter punishment according to law,
or if the death sentence is not urgent, the Supreme People's Court
and high people's courts of provinces, municipalities and
autonomous regions will commute it to a suspended sentence or life
imprisonment, said Xiao.
Of the death sentences passed to the Supreme People's Court for
judicial review since 2003, 22 percent were commuted, he said, and
another 7 percent retried.
In high people's courts, 38 percent were commuted and 4 percent
retried, according to Xiao.
The Supreme People's Court authorized the passing of death
sentences for some crimes by high people's courts of provinces,
municipalities and autonomous regions in the 1980s.
It is reported that this power will be withdrawn next year to
improve fairness and caution in the passing of death sentences.
The same day, Jia
Chunwang, procurator-general of the Supreme People's
Procuratorate, told legislators measures are being drafted to
better examine the legitimacy of evidence to help avoid confessions
obtained through torture.
(China Daily October 26, 2005)