Chinese Women laugh & Smile minutes before being executed

A young woman sits cross-legged on the ground laughing playfully as she is fed a lychee. Another plays cards in pair of baggy pink pyjamas.

The moving images could show any group of young women as they go about their daily lives in prison.

But just hours - and in some cases minutes - after the pictures were taken, each of the four women were led into a concrete yard and executed

A fragment of dignity: Ms Xiuling smiles as she squeezes into the new shoes she will wear for the execution

A last moment of joy: Ms Xiuling sits with prison guards and inmates the night before her execution, revealing her natural lively side as she rests her head against another woman

Last wishes: At 10:15pm the evening before her execution, an inmate records condemned drug trafficker Li Juhua's last will and testament

Facing death with a smile: Dai Donggui tries on an outfit for her to wear before her execution.

Preparations: Ms Donggui, in handcuffs and ankle shackles, neatly folds her red clothes onto the mattress she'll sleep on before she's shot in the morning

a female police officer feeds a lychee to condemned drug dealer Dai Donggu the evening before the execution 

A painful walk: At 7am in the morning, the convicts are walked into the execution ground to face their death as the guards watch them

Paraded as an example: Ms Xiuling is at the front of the line as 16 other convicts are walked in front of members of the public to the execution ground

She was worried about appearing 'too fat' in her pyjamas, and one of the inmates found her a black top to change into. Another image shows her squeezing into a new pair of shoes.

But throughout the evening she was restless, and began praying to the heavens to be allowed another chance at life.

At 6am, Ms Qingxiu, 49, hands over her old clothes to another inmate who will need them.  She moves to a temporary cell and joins Ms Xiuling, who is dabbing tears from her eyes.

The final few photographs show the inmates walking into the execution ground. Some of them have their legs shackled as they join 16 other death row inmates.

Ms Xiuling is held by a guard, but she can't stop herself from crying as her life draws to a close. The women are taken away by guards and minutes later shot in the back of the head.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2069844/Chinese-execution-pictures-Women-executed-drug-smuggling.html#ixzz1fr5sNYki