White paper details achievements made in rule of law

The State Council Information Office published a white paper on Monday hailing the new progress made in human rights protection in the field of justice as China enhances the rule of lawin all respects.

The white paper, titled “New Progress in the Judicial Protection of Human Rights in China,” said the judiciary is the last line of defense to safeguard social fairness and justice, and judicial protection of human rights is an important part of human rights progress in a country.

It said that in recent years, especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in November 2012, progress has been made in modernizing the system and capacity of State governance. The country has effectively protected people’s rights and freedoms in an extensive array of fields in accordance with the law, while its people duly fulfill their obligations.

In particular, the white paper noted that since the CPC’s 18th National Congress, the allocation of judicial powers and responsibilities have been further improved and the independent and impartial exercise of the judicial and procuratorial power ensured.

Since 2014, pilot programs have been promoted nationwide to improve performance in the following areas: judicial accountability, category-based management of judicial personnel, job security for the judicial profession, and unified management of the personnel, finance and property of people’s courts and procuratorates below the provincial level.

Meanwhile, the judicial accountability system has been improved, while judicial transparency promoted to ensure the right to know and the right to supervise for concerned parties and the public.

Progress was also made to ensure lawyers’ right of practice, so that lawyers are playing a bigger role in safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of parties concerned.

The white paper also highlighted pilot programs to reform the system of people’s assessors and supervisors, the establishment of a national judicial assistance system, and the abolishment of the system of re-education through labor.

It nonetheless said there is still much room for improvement for the rule of lawin China.

Strengthening judicial protection of human rights will continue to be a major task in implementing the rule of law, it said, adding that the country will proceed from its prevailing reality, learn from the achievements of other countries regarding the rule of law, enhance judicial protection of human rights, safeguard social fairness and justice, and implement the rule of law in all respects.

To enhance judicial protection of human rights, China has punished crimes by law, tried civil and administrative cases fairly, and strengthened the execution of effective judgments, the white paper said.

In particular, it noted that 54,249 people in 40,834 cases were investigated for work-related crimes in 2015.

It went on to say that the State focused on punishing violent terrorist crimes, serious crimes of violence, gangland crimes, crimes involving guns and explosives, crimes endangering food and medicine safety, and crimes related to drug production and trafficking, among others.

Criminals who infringed on the rights of minors were brought to justice, and the protection of minors’ rights was strengthened.

The death penalty is under strict control and is employed with prudence, the while paper said.

It said China’s attitude toward the death penalty is to ensure that it applies only to a very small number of extremely serious criminal offenders.