Procuratorates prosecuted 2,521 people for COVID-19 outbreak cases, work report shows

China's procuratorates, at all levels, approved the arrest of 3,751 people and prosecuted 2,521 for criminal offenses related to the COVID-19 outbreak from February to April, according to the top procuratorate on Monday.

The courts handled 2,829 cases of public interest litigation involving the supervision and control of protective materials, the disposal of medical waste, and wildlife protection, said Zhang Jun, the prosecutor-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, in the SPP work report he delivered to the third session of the 13th National People's Congress.

According to the report, the SPP, together with other relative departments, issued a guideline to call for severe punishment for crimes that harm the pandemic prevention measures and control and disrupt medical workers. Crimes of obstructing the pandemic control at border areas are also urged to be punished severely to prevent the risk of cases being imported from overseas.

The procuratorate protects the lawful rights and interests of people involved, he said. For suspects who are infected with COVID-19, their medical treatment is guaranteed. A lenient policy is adopted for people who committed minor crimes concerning the pandemic control. Procuratorates across the country dismissed the arrest of 576 people and decided not to prosecute 117 people in accordance with the law, he added.

During the fight against COVID-19, the Supreme People's Court strengthened trial-related guidance. It issued 57 example cases about punishing crimes related to the pandemic control and the resumption of work and production, according to the report delivered by top judge Zhou Qiang to the third session of the 13th NPC, also on Monday afternoon.

According to the report, courts at all levels coordinated work on pandemic control and the maintenance of stability as they concluded 2,736 cases related to the pandemic.

The smart court system also played an important role since the outbreak. Courts nationwide registered 1.36 million cases on the internet, held 250,000 court hearings and mediated 590,000 cases online, Zhou added.