Global momentum towards abolishing death penalty

• Point of view : Andrew Beswick•20 governments executed people last year (compared to 9 abolitionists in 1961, example of Japan)•Improvement since the last decade•Global trend

The number of executions

• China : - Exact number of executions unknown - Thousands of people possibly executed according to Amnesty International, number decreasing according to the Chinese Government

• Comparison : - Very high compared to other countries - High but not so much compared to the population of China which is the largest in the world : reported to the population, 10 times more than in Iran

Secrecy and executions

• China does not reveal the exact number of executions and has to be more transparent as Amnesty International asks.

• China is not the only one to hide information, so do North Korea where a large number of people disappeared and are supposedly dead

Reasons death penalty is used

• Traffic caused death (Indonesia)• Problem of fair trials : conclusion• When troops leave, the situation is back to

« normal » (same as before the troops were present)