Horrible

China 'world's top executioner'

More than 2,000 executions were carried out around the world in 2005, the vast majority of them in China which remains the world's number one executioner, Amnesty International has said.

According to the human-rights group's latest report on the death penalty worldwide, China carried out at least 1,770 executions.

However, Amnesty said the real figure was probably higher.

A Chinese legal expert was quoted as saying the true figure was closer to 8,000.

In its annual report, released on Thursday, Amnesty said that China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the US remained the world's leading executioners. Together the four countries accounted for 94% of last year's 2,148 documented executions.

This does not make for very nice reading, I have always opposed the Death Penalty, not even the most horrendous crime could ever make me support it. It makes me glad Britain stopped capital punishment in 1969, it is a barbaric pratice and open to abuse.