Comments on: Chinese Rethink Capital Punishment After Execution Of Street Vendor Xia Junfeng

By: jixiang

jixiang — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 15:16:13 +0000

Then why is it that in most Western Countries until a century or two ago the death penalty was applied as liberally as it is in China nowadays?

Perhaps it isn’t to do with Christianity.

By: SeaHorse

SeaHorse — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 19:26:11 +0000

Think cultural and religious reasons mostly. In the west where Christianity pretty much dominated culture for at least 1000 years taking a person’s life is a way of ‘playing God.’ So it can argued that executions are sacrilegious. It also denies a person the chance of accepting Christ later on in life, which is why you are entitled to have a priest go up with you when you die so you can confess your sins and convert. Like killing a criminal without a priest present is the worst thing you can do as a human being to another soul because you’re sending them straight to hell from a Christian perspective. Not saying people think this all the time here in the west, but it’s engrained in our culture to give people second chances.

In traditional Chinese culture there isn’t that much of an emphasis on atonement, and more on learning and teaching people to do the right thing. Unless you’re Buddhist, then you come back around as a crappier animal. Also many Chinese find it more excusable to excuse people when they are poor and uneducated, but if a cultured or educated person commits a crime it’s not like they were desperate or ignorant. One seems misguided, the other malicious.

By: wafflestomp

wafflestomp — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 17:09:53 +0000

The death penalty in China is only for those without money. Pathetic really

By: 不家

不家 — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 12:59:00 +0000

The symbol of justice in the west is a blindfolded lady holding a balanced scale – signifying equality for all. In China, it should be a bosomed karaoke girl, scantily clad, winking, and holding wads of cash in one hand (from the privileged), and an AK in the other hand (for peasants & the public).
Death penalty, to be continued, should be meted out to the party officials who steals billions,who in their corrupt acts, essentially “killed” thousands of people, as those purloined monies could have built hospitals and other infrastructure that would have enhanced the lives of so many.
Dont hold your breath waiting for that glorious day.

By: Gargh

Gargh — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 09:09:29 +0000

Fascinating that the capital punishment debate in China should apparently focus not on the morality of killing or the question of proof, but on the equality of application. Would be fascinating to see more detailed study of this.

Actually, it just struck me as bizarre that capital punishment has such a high level of support in China. On the internet and in real life I think most evidence suggests that people are highly sceptical about their local power-holders, assuming they’re corrupt and unjust (the central government seems to largely avoid such suspicions). You’d think that purely on that basis people would reject capital punishment, because it gives their corrupt local leaders life-and-death power.

Or do people have a high level of confidence in the courts? It seems like any confidence would be hard to justify…

By: terroir

terroir — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 05:00:43 +0000

Good on you for having an opinion, Alia. Your writing is so much better when it is focused and direct. Keep it up.

To add, the idea of a convicted prisoner pleading innocence is is so far-fetched in China that it will actually be used as evidence to their innocence.
http://sinopathic.com/caged-blossom-the-forced-confession-of-qian-renfeng/

As much as I hope that citizen outcry will reform the courts and law in China, I hope they stop changing the decisions of courts. Here’s hoping for real reform.