This document is a chronological listing of accounts of death sentences and executions from January to June 1994, reported by various sources including the official media. AI has recorded at least 1007 death sentences for violent and non-violent crimes in the first half of 1994. At least 696 executions were carried out in the same period. These figures are believed drastically to fall short of the true numbers, as the Chinese authorities treat statistics about the death penalty as a “state secret”. AI is concerned about a trend towards applying the death sentence for non-violent crimes, as evidenced by the execution of 33 people on 27 May 1994, in Guangdong, for stealing cars.
