Changes to Criminal Procedure Law and other regulations

1. Torture or other illegal means of obtaining evidence are forbidden, and judicial bodies cannot force suspects to plead guilty.

2. Statements or confessions by suspects, defendants, victims or witnesses that have been obtained by torture, violence or other illegal methods should be ruled inadmissible as evidence in case hearings.

3. The time and place of interrogation are regulated by law. Police should send suspects to a detention house within 24 hours of arrest and interrogate them within 24 hours of initial detention. The time allocated by law for suspects to eat and rest during interrogations must be provided and protected.

4. The police should make video and audio recordings of the whole interrogation session, especially in cases where the suspect may face life imprisonment or the death penalty.

5. In 2010, the Ministry of Public Security issued a guideline designed to improve the quality of investigations. The police were forbidden to impose targets for the detection and solving of crimes, and also from drawing up lists of top suspects in accordance with targets.

6. In 2013, the ministry introduced 10 requirements for police officers - including the need to visit crime scenes and investigate crimes as quickly as possible, and to extend the use of Internet databases and other online facilities - to regulate the investigative process.