China is a constant human rights violator, at a rate that the Bush Administration is probably envious of, China kills and tortures its dissidents and lawbreakers at will. The latest man to be sentenced to death was a corrupt government official who approved dangerous drugs to be sold commercially. Imagine that happening in the U.S.? Here people get rewarded with cushy jobs for approving dangerous drugs, not executed.
From the AP:
His crimes are serious, that is not in doubt. However I think the death penalty is just a wee bit harsh. Perhaps China and the United States can find a middle ground between what the Communist nation does and how America lets our corrupt officials off with a handshake for a job well done.BEIJING (AP) -- China's former top drug regulator was sentenced to death Tuesday in an unusually harsh punishment for taking bribes to approve substandard medicines, including an antibiotic blamed for at least 10 deaths.
Seeking to address broadening concerns over food, the government also announced plans for its first recall system for unsafe products.
The developments are among the most dramatic steps Beijing has taken to address domestic and international alarm over shoddy and unsafe Chinese goods - from pet food ingredients and toothpaste mixed with induso trial chemicals to tainted antibiotics.
Beijing's No. 1 Intermediate People's Court convicted Zheng Xiaoyu of taking bribes in cash and gifts worth more than $832,000 while he was director of the State Food and Drug Administration, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Those bribes allowed eight companies to get around drug approval standards, it said.
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