Chinese death penalty cases to be heard in open court

China's Supreme People's Court has ruled that from the latter half of this year all death penalty cases must be heard in an open court.

China's Supreme People's Court has ruled that from the latter half of this year, all death penalty cases must be heard in an open court, state media said on Saturday.

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The decision, announced at a two-day seminar in Zhengzhou by China's chief justice Xiao Yang, was taken so as to better safeguard human rights.

"The move will ensure justice and caution in death penalty rulings," Xiao said on Friday. China does not publish the number of people put to death, possibly out of fear of the potential damage to its reputation abroad.

However, some local legal scholars have said that about 10,000 people are executed every year, or far more than the combined figure for the rest of the world.