Labor camp re-education system set for reform
Source: Xinhua | 2012-10-10
CHINA is working on reforms to its system of imprisoning people in labor camps without trial, a senior judicial official said yesterday.
The comments were the firmest indication that after years of debate the government is preparing to revise but not abolish the system - known as "re-education through labor."
Jiang Wei, head of a government committee on judicial reform, said the government has found widespread agreement among legal scholars and lawmakers on the need to reform the labor camp system, and an overhaul is being devised based on that consensus.
Yesterday, the government issued a white paper on judicial reform, highlighting the country's progress in safeguarding justice and protecting human rights.
Discussing the white paper at a press conference, Jiang said China was formulating reforms for the re-education through labor system. "Some loopholes currently exist in the system's regulations and procedures," Jiang said.
"The necessity of the reforms has been recognized and authorities have done plenty of research and heard advice from experts and legislators, and they are now working on a plan for the reforms," he said, adding that the system has its basis in the country's legal system and had played an important role in maintaining social order. The re-education through labor system was established in the 1950s.
The white paper, the first of its kind issued by the Chinese government, said the ultimate purpose of the judicial reforms was to maintain social fairness, justice and human rights protections.
"China's judicial reforms are aimed at strengthening judicial organs' capability to maintain social justice by optimizing the structure of the judicial organs and the allocation of their functions and power, standardizing judicial acts, improving judicial proceedings and enhancing judicial democracy and legal supervision," it says.
Human rights
Improving the protection of human rights is an important goal, the white paper says.
In terms of protecting human rights, effective measures are being taken to deter and prohibit the obtainment of confessions through torture, better protect the rights of criminal suspects and defendants and protect attorneys' rights to exercise their duties.
Jiang said a series of efforts had been made to prevent judicial cases in which people were unjustly charged.
The Criminal Procedure Law amended earlier this year stipulates that no person may be forced to prove his or her own guilt, adding that no criminal suspects or defendants may be forced to confess.
As a populous developing country, China still has problems in its judicial system, Jiang said, adding that the country's judicial system will be based on its reality, instead of simply copied from other countries. "Copying foreign experience or systems might lead to a bad end," he said, in response to a question about whether China's judicial system should follow Western models.
However, he added, China was keen to learn from the experience of other countries and would try to incorporate judicial concepts and practices used elsewhere.
Jiang said that China would steadily push the reforms forward step by step, adding that there were no "best" systems in the world, but only those suitable for different countries.
The comments were the firmest indication that after years of debate the government is preparing to revise but not abolish the system - known as "re-education through labor."
Jiang Wei, head of a government committee on judicial reform, said the government has found widespread agreement among legal scholars and lawmakers on the need to reform the labor camp system, and an overhaul is being devised based on that consensus.
Yesterday, the government issued a white paper on judicial reform, highlighting the country's progress in safeguarding justice and protecting human rights.
Discussing the white paper at a press conference, Jiang said China was formulating reforms for the re-education through labor system. "Some loopholes currently exist in the system's regulations and procedures," Jiang said.
"The necessity of the reforms has been recognized and authorities have done plenty of research and heard advice from experts and legislators, and they are now working on a plan for the reforms," he said, adding that the system has its basis in the country's legal system and had played an important role in maintaining social order. The re-education through labor system was established in the 1950s.
The white paper, the first of its kind issued by the Chinese government, said the ultimate purpose of the judicial reforms was to maintain social fairness, justice and human rights protections.
"China's judicial reforms are aimed at strengthening judicial organs' capability to maintain social justice by optimizing the structure of the judicial organs and the allocation of their functions and power, standardizing judicial acts, improving judicial proceedings and enhancing judicial democracy and legal supervision," it says.
Human rights
Improving the protection of human rights is an important goal, the white paper says.
In terms of protecting human rights, effective measures are being taken to deter and prohibit the obtainment of confessions through torture, better protect the rights of criminal suspects and defendants and protect attorneys' rights to exercise their duties.
Jiang said a series of efforts had been made to prevent judicial cases in which people were unjustly charged.
The Criminal Procedure Law amended earlier this year stipulates that no person may be forced to prove his or her own guilt, adding that no criminal suspects or defendants may be forced to confess.
As a populous developing country, China still has problems in its judicial system, Jiang said, adding that the country's judicial system will be based on its reality, instead of simply copied from other countries. "Copying foreign experience or systems might lead to a bad end," he said, in response to a question about whether China's judicial system should follow Western models.
However, he added, China was keen to learn from the experience of other countries and would try to incorporate judicial concepts and practices used elsewhere.
Jiang said that China would steadily push the reforms forward step by step, adding that there were no "best" systems in the world, but only those suitable for different countries.
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