Execution van

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This article is about execution vans in China. For the mobile gas chamber execution van, see Gas van.

The execution van, also called a mobile execution unit, was developed by the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC)[citation needed] and was first used in 1997.[citation needed] The prisoner is strapped to a stretcher and executed inside the van.[citation needed] The van allows death sentences to be carried out without moving the prisoner to an execution ground.

The vans also require less staffing, requiring four people to assist with the injection and are mobile.[citation needed] The PRC states[citation needed] that the vans are more humane than previous forms of execution. In 2004, Amnesty International raised concerns that the execution rate in China might increase because of mobile capital punishment.[1] However, the number of executions dropped steadily in the 2000s, and significantly since 2007, when the Supreme People's Court regained the power to review all death sentences.[2][3][4][5] Human rights groups have reported that China carries out the highest number of executions of any country.[5] The Dui Hua Foundation put the number at 5,000 to 6,000 for 2007 and 2,400 for 2013,[2] and in 2019, Amnesty International reported that mainland China executes more people than all other countries combined.[6]

People's Republic of China[edit]

Unlike the United States, where lethal injection is used, Chinese executions have been carried out by shooting, although the state is attempting to shift toward lethal injections. Because demand is high and the facilities can be expensive, the state deploys special police buses designed to administer the injection.[7] After the 1997 decision to legalize lethal injection as a form of execution, PRC officials began using execution vans across China. Becoming popular in 2007,[8] these officials state that the vans are cost-effective by allowing communities without the money to build dedicated death rows to kill prisoners without the costs associated with sending prisoners away for death. In 2006, former Chinese judge and current lawyer Qiu Xingsheng argues that "some places can't afford the cost of sending a person to Beijing—perhaps $250—plus $125 more for the drug."[9] Because Beijing is the only place where the drug is manufactured, the vans have allowed localities to administer the death sentence where the crime took place. Estimates place the number of execution vans in operation at around 40; the PRC has not confirmed this number.[citation needed]

A converted 24-seat bus, the execution van keeps the appearance of a normal police van on the outside with no markings indicating its purpose. The rear of the vehicle houses a windowless chamber where the execution takes place. Several cameras are present and feed closed-circuit televisions in the front of the van; a recording can be made if desired. The bed itself slides out of the wall under its own power, on which the convicted person is strapped down. A syringe is put into the arm by a technician and a police official administers the injection by pressing a button.[citation needed]

Notable executions[edit]

On December 22, 2003, organized crime leader Liu Yong was executed in an execution van in a controversial ruling. Liu was convicted of 32 charges and sentenced to death in 2000, but was granted a reprieve after appealing the case on the grounds that his confession was forced. Liu had been given a retrial by the Supreme Court on December 17. It was the first time the Supreme Court had bypassed China's two-trial system in which two trials are permitted and the verdict of the second trial may be appealed by either side.[10][11]

On March 17, 2006, billionaire Yuan Baojing was executed in a van for the arranged murder of a blackmailer.[9]

The former Director of the State Food and Drug Administration of the People's Republic of China Zheng Xiaoyu was executed in an execution van[citation needed] on July 10, 2007, for taking bribes and dereliction of duty, resulting in hundreds of deaths,[12] permanent disabilities and thousands of injuries.[13] Zheng tried to appeal the sentence, but the court ruled that he was a "great danger" to the country and its reputation.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Undermining Global Security: the European Union's arms exports". Amnesty International. 2004. p. 76.
  2. ^ a b "INFOGRAPHIC: Capital punishment in China". South China Morning Post. 4 November 2014. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  3. ^ zh:中华人民共和国死刑犯列表[circular reference]
  4. ^ Dui Hua Foundation. "Criminal Justice: Death Penalty Reform". Dui Hua Foundation. Archived from the original on 2014-09-15. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  5. ^ a b Fan, Maureen; Cha, Ariana Eunjung (2008-12-24). "China's Capital Cases Still Secret, Arbitrary". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2011-01-25. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
  6. ^ "Canadian's death sentence in China 'horrific', family says". BBC. 15 January 2019. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  7. ^ Fisher, Max. "Yes, China still harvests organs from executed prisoners". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  8. ^ Killing Vans Make Process Easier For China's Authorities, by The Irish Times
  9. ^ a b MacLeod, Calum (2006-06-15). "China makes ultimate punishment mobile". USA Today. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  10. ^ "Mafia kingpin dies in execution van". Taipei Times. 2003-12-23.
  11. ^ Belkin, Ira (Fall 2000). "China's Criminal Justice System: A Work in Progress" (PDF). Washington Journal of Modern China. 6 (2). Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Remembering Panama's poisoning victims". Newsroom Panama. 2019-06-05. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  13. ^ Barboza, David (2007-07-12). "For 2 children, ban of a drug came too late". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
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