Aug. 23 – A draft amendment regarding China’s criminal law was submitted to the National People’s Congress today, requesting the elimination of capital punishment for 13 economic-related nonviolent offenses.

China’s reputation of being quite liberal in its use of the death penalty and the lack of transparency in its methods has drawn criticism from many nations and human rights groups. The country executes thousands of people each year, usually by firing squad or lethal injection, and put more people to death in 2009 than the rest of the world combined, according to an Amnesty International report issued in March.

Of the 68 offenses which are currently punishable by death in China, 44 are for nonviolent acts such as the smuggling of drugs and corruption, according to the China Daily.

If the amendment is passed, some of the offenses that would become exempt from the death penalty would include robbing cultural ruins, teaching others how to commit crimes, and some cases of forgery and fraud. Attempting to smuggle cultural relics, rare animals, gold, silver, and other precious metals out of the country would also be exempt.

“Considering China’s current economic and social development reality, appropriately removing the death penalty from some economy-related nonviolent offenses will not negatively affect social stability nor public security,” Li Shishi, director of the Commission for Legislative Affairs for the NPC Standing Committee, told state-run Xinhua.

The NPC’s Standing Committee is scheduled to read through the draft amendment during this week’s meeting, but draft laws are usually read through at least two or three times before being voted on for adoption.

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