Ensuring justice to be discussed in key Chinese sessions

Beijing, March 3 (IANS) Preventing wrongful convictions and ensuring judicial justice are likely to be discussed in China's two key annual sessions, said a Chinese daily Tuesday.

An article in the People's Daily said that judicial issues will come up for discussion during China's annual two sessions. The first session is the National People's Congress plenary session and the second is the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The sessions begin on March 3.

The daily cited the Constitution to say that China's top court is required to deliver annual work reports to the deputies of the National People's Congress.

At this year's two sessions, "preventing wrongful convictions and ensuring judicial justice are likely to be heatedly discussed topics", the daily said.

It cited the example of Huugjilt, a young man from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region who was executed for rape and murder 19 years ago, and was exonerated by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region's Higher People's Court in December.

His case was reopened following the confession of Zhao Zhihong, who was arrested in 2005. About two months after the exoneration, Huugjilt’s parents received about 2 million yuan ($319,792) in compensation from the government, or equal to 40 years of China’s 2013 per capita annual salary.

The daily quoted observers as saying that Huugjilt’s case not only marked the success of China’s judicial system to uphold the principle of innocent until proven guilty, but "also reflected judicial bodies had the courage to correct wrongful convictions".

It also said that media attention given to reversed wrongful conviction cases had increased significantly since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012. At least 12 major convictions were reversed in 2014.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed “rule of Constitution” on many occasions. Xi said that judicial organs at all levels should make sure that litigants in every case are treated with fairness and justice.

Rule of law was established as China’s main governing principle during the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012. At the fourth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in 2014, members of the Central Committee approved the decision to advance rule of law in China.

China’s judicial and prosecution organs are currently working on promoting judicial reform.

Also, China’s court records are now searchable online, making the database the largest of its kind in the world.

“The rule of law guarantees China’s long term stability and a happy and peaceful life for its people. The public is confident the judicial system will deliver justice,” Wang Mingwen, a deputy to the National People’s Congress from Southwest China, was qouted as saying.