CINA: FOREIGN MINISTRY DEFENDS CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

March 27, 2014: China defended the death penalty as a traditional deterrent, after Amnesty International released its annual Report on the death penalty worldwide.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei dismissed the study and highlighted policies to curb capital punishment. "The relevant organisation always has biased opinions against China," he said at a regular press briefing.
"Whether or not a country retains the death penalty is mainly based on the traditional culture and specific national conditions.” “It meets the aspirations of the Chinese public and will also help crack down on and prevent severe criminal activities," he said, adding that the practice also followed the country's "legal and cultural traditions".
Beijing was taking steps to "implement the policy of strictly controlling and prudently using death penalty", Hong said. (Sources: AAP, 27/03/2014)