Beijing
China reformed its death penalty law this week, requiring the country’s highest court to approve every death sentence. China executes at least 1,500 people a year, far more than any other country; the new policy is expected to reduce that number considerably. Many of China’s death sentences—for crimes ranging from murder to tax evasion—are handed down by corrupt local courts. In recent months, state-owned media outlets have been running exposés about innocent people wrongfully executed, and activists have been calling for reform.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
July 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's political cartoons include new TSA rules, FEMA cuts, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy complimenting Donald Trump's new wardrobe
-
5 weather-beaten cartoons about the Texas floodsCartoons Artists take on funding cuts, politicizing tragedy, and more
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans
