- Much ado about abang: about.com is launching a Chinese version called abang.com, bang as in 帮. Read Thomas Crampton's interview of Matt Roberts, the founder:
But 1) 一帮人的帮 or bang as in "group" connotes to me a "group" of hoodlums rather than "group" of people who help (帮助） each other. 2) If only they unblocked it, Wikipedia would totally serve the purpose of a go-to online encyclopedia. It allows for a true marketplace of ideas where facts are up for revision and debate by the community as opposed to written by a few salaried "experts".
- This story of suicide was sad because it is both so common and almost always unheard. But in a country full which silences students from talking about their broken-hearted or stressed-out frieds who resort to taking their lives, maybe we need to read a few of these stories for it to hit home, just how precious life is.
- I wrestled with the Danwei question on how to translate "cheng guan" (城管) for awhile. The Chinese in the office thought "city administrative official" was appropriate, but in light of recent stories about just how out of hand their "administrative" duties can be (See beating death story of blogger Wei Wehua also linked in Danwei), maybe "municipal officer" would be more fitting. See comments for even harsher titles.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Thursday, January 3, 2008
How Humane
As part of a recent reexamination of the death penalty in China from the return of death penalty review to the Supreme People's Court last year to calls for more sparing usage of the death penalty, China recently announced it is changing over from gunshots to lethal injection as the preferred method for executions.
- In the China Daily article, Jiang Xingchang, VP of the Supreme People's Court is quoted as saying that lethal injection, "is considered more humane and will eventually be used in all Intermediate People's Courts". Although there is no timetable for this changeover, "The SPC will help equip intermediate courts with all required facilities and train more professionals, particularly in the central and western regions," ...sounds like an involved process, whereas I guess all the relevant authorities were familiar with death by firing squad already. The China Daily article then quotes SPC Chief Justice Xiao Yang about the future application of the death penalty:
This is a non-response for 2 reasons: 1) Even strict retributive logic would be hard-pressed to justify the death penalty for non-violent crimes such as embezzlement or drug offenses or some of the 68 total ways one can receive the death penalty. 2) There's no justification of the state's right take away life, just a general assumption to maintain the status quo. But who should be the ultimate judge? Nearly four millenia after Hammurabi, Ghandi responded, "An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind".
Click on the China Daily link for the picture.
- The AP, and Reuters, didn't have too much to say about this yet since they were all working off the same China Daily report. BBC was a little better offering a comparison with the US:
And then some statistics:
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For comparison, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, 36 states plus the military and federal government in the US maintain the death penalty and around 1100 people have been executed since the Death Penalty was brought back in 1976. For most states, lethal injection is the sole option, and while Idaho and Utah still allow death by firing squad, it is only offered to inmates who chose it before it was eliminated through legislation. More gruesome statistics here.
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Beyond being seen as humane, is lethal injection (legalized in 1997, but not really used until 2000) also possibly considered a more expedient solution? The end of a BBC article from 2000 writes:
There are certainly concerns over implentation of the death penalty in China and not just from the outside. The Duihua foundation translated an editorial from The Beijing News on the SPC being flooded with death penalty cases to review and resorting to using lesser qualified judges to review them.
---
While on this topic, pictures from the last hours of a Chinese death penalty inmate, originally from daqi.com
- In the China Daily article, Jiang Xingchang, VP of the Supreme People's Court is quoted as saying that lethal injection, "is considered more humane and will eventually be used in all Intermediate People's Courts". Although there is no timetable for this changeover, "The SPC will help equip intermediate courts with all required facilities and train more professionals, particularly in the central and western regions," ...sounds like an involved process, whereas I guess all the relevant authorities were familiar with death by firing squad already. The China Daily article then quotes SPC Chief Justice Xiao Yang about the future application of the death penalty:
Though the country retains capital punishment, it should be applied only to "an extremely small number" of serious offenders, said Chief Justice Xiao Yang in a separate interview with China Daily, adding: "Each death sentence has to stand the test of time."
Xiao said abolishing the capital punishment or strictly limiting the use of the death sentence are a global trend and "China is also working toward that direction."
He, however, stressed that the goal cannot be achieved overnight.
"We cannot talk about abolishing or controlling the use of death sentences in the abstract without considering ground realities and social security conditions," Xiao said.
The chief justice has also said it is unrealistic for China to abolish the capital punishment - even for non-violent criminals - in the short term because of the strong belief among people of the concept "an eye for an eye and a life for a life".
This is a non-response for 2 reasons: 1) Even strict retributive logic would be hard-pressed to justify the death penalty for non-violent crimes such as embezzlement or drug offenses or some of the 68 total ways one can receive the death penalty. 2) There's no justification of the state's right take away life, just a general assumption to maintain the status quo. But who should be the ultimate judge? Nearly four millenia after Hammurabi, Ghandi responded, "An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind".
Click on the China Daily link for the picture.
- The AP, and Reuters, didn't have too much to say about this yet since they were all working off the same China Daily report. BBC was a little better offering a comparison with the US:
In recent months, the lethal injection has become a subject of much debate in the US.
The US Supreme Court is currently considering a case brought by two death row inmates who say the method inflicts unnecessary pain and suffering.
And then some statistics:
China does not release official statistics of its executions.
Rights group Amnesty International says that based on media reports an estimated 1,010 people were executed in 2006 - more than 60% of global executions - but it described this number as only the tip of the iceberg.
CHINA'S DEATH PENALTY
China is believed to execute more people than rest of the world combined
Non-violent crimes such as tax fraud and embezzlement carry death penalty
Other crimes include murder, rape, robbery and drug offences
China does not publish official figures on executions
Many cases are based on confessions and trials often take less than a day, observers say
---
For comparison, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, 36 states plus the military and federal government in the US maintain the death penalty and around 1100 people have been executed since the Death Penalty was brought back in 1976. For most states, lethal injection is the sole option, and while Idaho and Utah still allow death by firing squad, it is only offered to inmates who chose it before it was eliminated through legislation. More gruesome statistics here.
---
Beyond being seen as humane, is lethal injection (legalized in 1997, but not really used until 2000) also possibly considered a more expedient solution? The end of a BBC article from 2000 writes:
There have also been concerns expressed that execution by lethal injection might be used to aid the harvesting of transplant organs from executed prisoners, although officials deny using organs from executed criminals without their permission.
There are certainly concerns over implentation of the death penalty in China and not just from the outside. The Duihua foundation translated an editorial from The Beijing News on the SPC being flooded with death penalty cases to review and resorting to using lesser qualified judges to review them.
---
While on this topic, pictures from the last hours of a Chinese death penalty inmate, originally from daqi.com
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Links for 1/2/2008
Happy 2008 everyone!
Just some links from the last week:
- LATimes' article on blacklash of the new China Law Labor that went into effect on the 1st.
- Fake baozi BTV producer Hu Ziwei strikes back at husband at CCTV Olympics unveiling ceremony.
- LATimes' article on Wen Jiabao wife's bling.
Just some links from the last week:
- LATimes' article on blacklash of the new China Law Labor that went into effect on the 1st.
- Fake baozi BTV producer Hu Ziwei strikes back at husband at CCTV Olympics unveiling ceremony.
- LATimes' article on Wen Jiabao wife's bling.
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