China’s Former Drug Regulator Executed
China’s former head of the State Food and Drug Administration was executed on Today
China executed Zheng Xiaoyu, its former top food and drug regulator, today for taking bribes to approve untested medicine as Beijing scrambled to show that it is serious about improving the safety of Chinese products. The official Xinhua news agency announced the execution but did not say how Mr. Zheng was killed. In most cases, court police execute prisoners by shooting them in the back of the head, though recently police have also used lethal injections. Continuing the crackdown, a Beijing court on Friday meted out another capital sentence to Mr. Zheng’s deputy, Cao Wenzhuang. Mr. Cao was given a two-year reprieve, however, which often results in commutation to life in prison.
