CONFESSIONS THROUGH TORTURE INADMISSABLE

The aim is to accurately punish the crime and thereby protecting human rights and avoid miscarriages of justice — Supreme Court

Chinese courts have a near-perfect conviction rate of 99.92%

Human rights groups have been vocal over wrongful verdicts due to heavy reliance on forced confessions

While China has tried to weed out torture, rights groups say the practice is deep rooted

Beijing is often criticised for its harsh treatment of activists and dissidents

Since President Xi Jinping (right below) took power in 2012, the controls on civil society have tightened

Campaigners say it is impossible to know the exact number of activists in detention because many are held incommunicado with no access to legal help

Q An example of a miscarriage of justice was that of Nie Shubin (left), who was convicted of rape and murder in 1995 and executed by firing squad. His sentence was overturned by the court