Officials: Beijing justice system better at protecting human rights

Beijing's top judicial authorities have hailed the efforts made by courts and prosecutors over the past five years to better protect human rights and prevent wrongful convictions.

The capital implemented a principle of "no punishment when there is reasonable doubt" between 2013 and 2017, during which 43 defendants were declared not guilty, according to the Beijing High People's Court.

"We excluded evidence obtained illegally and gave full rights to defendants and defense lawyers during case hearings," Yang Wanming, the court's president, said in his report to the Beijing People's Congress, which went into session on Wednesday.

Jing Dali, head of the capital's top procuratorate, said in his report that prosecutions against 7,175 people had been dropped since 2013, some because the offense was too minor, and some because a prosecution was not warranted under the Criminal Procedure Law.

Prosecutors also reviewed detentions over the same period, resulting in the sentences of 2,502 people either being ended or given other coercive measures, such as bail or residential surveillance.

"We have prevented people from being wrongly prosecuted and ensured each suspect is protected throughout the legal procedures," Jing said.

In addition, judges and prosecutors were praised for strengthening the fight against violent crime, subversion of state power, terrorism and robbery.

Courts across the capital gave prison sentences of at least five years to 10,847 defendants for homicide, robbery, kidnapping or harming food and medicine safety between 2013 and 2017, while prosecutors charged 7,980 people with homicide, robbery and kidnapping, according to the two reports.