Dui Hua asks what's the rush for Hu Jia's virdict. The writer hypotesis is that the Chinese Government wanted to get rid of this business before August and the Olympics. Furthermore it demonstrate that there was no lenience in handling the case.
There are some quite interesting infos and ideas

China is executing fewer people now that the central court in Beijing must review capital cases. It still puts more people to death than the rest of the world combined.

China plans to answer international critics over its human rights record with an exhibition in Beijing showcasing how it protects the liberties of its citizens, state press said.

China is holding elections for people's representatives at the county and township levels. The difference this time is that the usual practice of the communist government recommending candidates has been challenged, and some independent candidates and human rights activists are actively running for elections. However, analysts say these independent candidates, instead of receiving election funds, have been suppressed.

Canadian citizen Huseyin Celil may be put to death by the Chinese government as early as next week according to his wife. Celil is ethnically a Uighur Muslim, a group of people who live in China's western Xinjiang province.

Sentenced to death for his "anti-government" activities, Celil has been held in China since his capture and extradition in March from Uzbekistan.