BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese court officials and legal experts must be on the lookout for problems in the handling of criminal cases to prevent and rectify wrongful convictions.
Shen Deyong, vice head of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), was addressing a Friday meeting on criminal justice following the wrongful execution of a teenager for rape and murder in 1996, the case of which was overturned this week.
Shen stressed that various principles, such as sentences compatible with criminal liability, equal opportunities to prosecution and defense, and rulings based on evidence, must be fully implemented, and procedural justice must be guaranteed.
"Evidence obtained through illegal means must be strictly excluded," Shen said, urging improved rules of evidence.
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Higher People's Court acquitted Huugjilt, executed when he was 18 years old, on Monday because the evidence was questionable and inadequate.
The local procuratorate announced on Thursday that the police officer in charge of the case at the time was under investigation. Procuratorate staff face a separate investigation for their roles.
At Friday's meeting, Shen also called for greater research into criminal judicial reform and a mechanism to make court officials liable of for their rulings.
|
