A county in Central China's Hunan province has sparked widespread criticism and public anger by holding a shame parade at a public sentencing, a local newspaper reported.

Huarong County last Friday held a public rally for the sentencing of eight criminals, which attracted a crowd of about 5,000 spectators.

Photographs posted online showed armed police standing beside suspects wearing white boards on their chests bearing their names and crimes. The suspects are standing behind iron bars on moving trucks, which also have signs with words like "punish criminals severely."

Such rallies have been held several times before from 2009 to 2013, according to the county government's website.

China banned shame parades of criminals in 1998, the newspaper said.