China Executions Rise to 480 in Three Weeks

BEIJING, May 2, 2001 (Zenit.org).- China has executed another 30 alleged criminals, bringing to more than 480 the number of reported executions in the past three weeks, Agence France-Presse said.

According to the Xinjiang Daily, seven people, including several ethnic Uighurs, were executed April 26 in Korla after being convicted of murder and assault.

Another man was executed at Hami, also in Xinjiang, according to the paper. The April 26 executions coincided with the sentencing to death of a number of Uighur separatists in Urumqi, the provincial capital, the same day.

The battle against separatism in Xinjiang is one of the priorities for local authorities in their implementation of the nationwide "strike hard" campaign against crime, which was launched last month by China's communist authorities.

The other 22 people who died in the executions reported Tuesday were all convicted of criminal offenses in Yunnan province.

China executes more people each year than the rest of the world combined, but the total number remains a heavily guarded state secret.

Zenit - The World Seen From Rome
2. mai 2001