White paper: Progress made in protecting people's rights

China has effectively safeguarded its citizens' rights of life and health, personal liberty, personal dignity and other rights, according to a government report published on Monday.

The re-education-through-labor system was abolished in 2013 after more than 50 years of operation in China, says the report, titled "Progress in China's Human Rights in 2013", issued by the Information Office of the State Council.

China has effectively protected the rights of women and children through special campaigns against human trafficking, according to the report.

In 2013, the country cracked 5,126 cases of abducted and trafficked women and 2,765 cases of abducted and trafficked children, and united 631 abducted children with their biological parents through the DNA database network of public security organs.

Special emphasis has been given to the protection of the rights of people with mental disorders, said the report, adding that the Law on Mental Health took effect on May 1, 2013, and applies the principles of free will and restriction on involuntary hospitalization for patients with mental disorders.

The State has seriously punished crimes that undermined people's sense of security and infringed their rights, it says.

People's courts at all levels concluded 250,000 cases of homicide, robbery, kidnapping, explosions, rape, trafficking of children and women, and gang-related organized crime, convicting 325,000 people.

Measures for preventing and rectifying unjust, false and erroneous charges have been further strengthened, according to the report.

In 2013 people's courts at all levels acquitted 825 defendants in accordance with the law, and had retrials of unjust, false and erroneous charges discovered during appeals and quashed the original judgments in these cases.

Protection of the rights of criminal suspects, defendants and detainees has been enhanced, said the report.

The people's procuratorates further improved synchronized audio and video-recording systems, effectively protecting the legitimate rights of suspects, it added.