2011-08-24 10:30

BEIJING- China's top legislature on Wednesday began to read a draft amendment to the Criminal Procedural Law, which aims to stop judges accepting confessions obtained through torture or violence.

The draft amendment submitted to the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee states that "evidences and confessions collected by torture, violence and threats should not be accepted."

"Procuratorial organs should investigate allegations of collecting evidence through illegal methods," according to the draft.

Interrogators suspected to have collected confessions or evidence through illegal methods should be criminally prosecuted, it said.

It also states that all interrogations of suspects should be conducted in detention houses and the entire interrogation should be videotaped for the most serious criminal cases, according to the draft amendment.

Legal experts say the draft amendment will help improve human rights protection of criminal suspects after repeated cases of forced confessions and miscarriages of justice in China.

Zhao Zuohai in central Henan Province was acquitted and freed from prison last year after serving a 10-year sentence for murder as the supposedly murdered victim was found alive. Zhao was forced through torture to make a guilty confession.