BEIJING - CHINA'S supreme court overturned 15 percent of all death sentences handed down by lower courts in the first half of 2008, state media said on Friday.

Mr Gao Jinghong, presiding judge of the supreme court's Third Criminal Law Court, said most of the sentences were overturned because they were 'inappropriate' or lacked sufficient evidence, the China Daily reported, without further detail.

The report said the reversals showed China was following the global trend of reducing the number of death sentences, after the supreme court was permitted in 2007, after a hiatus of almost 20 years, to review capital punishment cases.

'Some people are strong believers in 'the man who kills shall die'. In many cases they call for immediate execution of the murderers,' Mr Gao said. 'High courts and the (Supreme People's Court) are often under tremendous pressure because of this.' International rights group Amnesty International estimated in April that at least 1,200 confirmed executions were carried out around the world last year, with China leading the way with at least 470. The supreme court was not available to comment. -- AFP