Epoch Times
Mar 30, 2010
By Peter Sedik

Amnesty International challenged China on March 29 to disclose the number of executions they carry out. The human rights group released its annual Death Sentences and Executions report, where they claim that the Chinese authorities executed “thousands” of people in 2009, more than the rest of the world combined.

The report, based on the group’s own research, reveals that at least 714 people in 18 countries were executed last year, with the highest numbers in Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and United States. The number doesn’t include the executions in China, where statistics on death penalties remains a state secret.

“The Chinese authorities claim that fewer executions are taking place,” said Amnesty’s Claudio Cordone in a statement. “If this is true, why won’t they tell the world how many people the state put to death?”

Amnesty decided not to publish its minimum estimates for Chinese executions, but the report from 2008 says that at least 1,718 people were executed there, more than 70 percent of the total executions worldwide.    more …