Drug criminals publicly sentenced to death in China

FOOTAGE has been released of 10 criminals guilty of drug-related crimes, murder and robbery being sentenced to death in China.

THOUSANDS of onlookers saw 10 Chinese criminals publicly sentenced to death in a sports stadium in Lufeng, Guangdong province before they were taken away and executed.

After the sentences were laid down, those given death sentences — mostly for drug-related offences — were immediately transported to their place of execution, local media reported.

Footage of the event received a lot of attention on Sina Weibo, a video-sharing website in China.

It showed police vehicles escorting the convicts to a small platform, where their sentences were read to a large crowd, which supposedly included schoolchildren.

The likely intention of the local authorities in using public sentencing was to send a message about the consequences of engaging in drug-related crimes.

Chinese criminals have had their death sentences publicly announced. Picture: Weibo.

It’s not the first time courts in Lufeng have used public sentencing. In June, 13 people were sentenced to death and eight were executed immediately after the trial.

At the time William Nee from Amnesty International told the MailOnline: “The mass sentencing rally that took place — including the execution of eight people involved in drug-related crimes — is absolutely tragic and barbaric.”

Lufeng is struggling with an extreme drug problem which has earned it the label “the city of ice”.