The Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate outlined its achievement during its parliamentary session on Sunday. Reports say both departments claimed that more efficient and fairer justice system has improved human rights protection in China.
Xinhua reported that many lawyers at the moment are experiencing better protection from the government and that many wrongful convictions were already corrected. Chief Justice Zhou Qian said the government tried its best to make sure every case which was processed through the judicial system was fair and that justice was served.
According to China Daily, 5,400 cases involving human trafficking and sexual assault of women and children were concluded by the Chinese courts last year. The Supreme People's Court reported that more severe sentences were extended to the guilty parties. Moreover, the Supreme People's Procuratorate charged about 24,000 individuals with violating the personal rights of women.
Meanwhile, in a statement made by Australia, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, United states and other European states, the US ambassador to the United Nations rights body said that China's deteriorating human rights record' like mass detentions and forced confessions were among the UN's major concerns. The US condemned China at the Human Rights Council, which angered the former, says UCA News.
While delivering the SPP work report, Procurator-General Cao Jianming told the NPC session that the prosecutors have strived for constructive interaction with lawyers. China also outlined its online system which was set up to support defense lawyers. The online system helped lawyers schedule appointments with their clients and file lawsuits.
Chinese courts upheld the principle of innocence until proven guilty and worked to protect legal rights of defendants. Zhou added in his statement that a total of 1,039 suspects were found not guilty last year. Zhou then promised more improvements to the legal aid system, to help those who want to review or appeal their death sentence.
