China Perspective Issues
Zhang Ning
is a Senior Lecturer, University of Geneva and a Research Fellow at the CECMC, EHESS, Paris.Public Opinion and the Death Penalty Debate in China
What role does public opinion play in the present debate over the death penalty in China? Should one settle for an image of unanimous public support for the death penalty? The starting point of this article is a study of the growing awareness among Chinese legal experts, during the first decade of the millennium, of the particular role played by public opinion. Faced with violent opposition to their project to abolish the death penalty for economic crimes, legal experts share their concerns when confronted with such popular pressures, which can be reminiscent of certain Maoist practices. Using analyses of certain recent cases, the author seeks to bring out the other dimensions that make up public opinion, in order to question an idea that is ambiguous and problematical in the context of today’s China.
Le débat sur la peine de mort aujourd'hui en Chine
En dépit de son caractère sensible, la question de la peine de mort donne lieu aujourd'hui à un débat public parmi les juristes chinois qui s'interrogent désormais ouvertement sur son éventuelle abolition. Ce débat présente un triple intérêt. Il s'accompagne d'une lecture rétrospective de la tradition pénale chinoise, mettant en lumière la succession d'entreprises de modernisation du droit criminel depuis plus d'un siècle. Il révèle également le poids toujours présent de l'héritage maoïste et les contradictions de la politique actuelle, partagée entre un souci de légalité et le recours persistant à des mesures d'exception. Enfin, des professionnels et des théoriciens de l'institution judiciaire conduisent une réflexion en partant de cas concrets sur les spécificités de la société et de la culture chinoises contemporaines.
The Debate Over the Death Penalty in Today's China
Despite the sensitivity of the subject, the death penalty is currently a topic of public discussion among Chinese legal experts who are now openly wondering about its possible abolition. This debate is of interest on three counts. First, it goes hand-in-hand with a retrospective reading of the Chinese penal tradition, highlighting the succession of attempts at modernising criminal law for over a century. It also shows the ever present weight of the Maoist legacy and the contradictions of the present policy, caught between a concern for legality and continuing recourse to exceptional measures. Lastly, legal professionals and theorists alike are engaging in a reviewbased on specific casesof the particular features of contemporary Chinese society and culture.