China offers clemency

China has for the first time volunteered information on 56 political prisoners who have been or will be shown clemency, a human rights watchdog said.

The prisoners, held in 11 provinces or autonomous regions, had been released on parole or had their sentences cut last year or would be shown clemency soon, the San Francisco-based Dui Hua group said on its website www.duihua.org.

The revelation came ahead of the annual session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva next month during which China hopes to avoid censure for what critics say is an abysmal rights record.