A pro-democracy protester chants slogans as he is taken away by the police. (Photo : Reuters)
At a political and legal work central conference held by the Chinese government on Tuesday, the head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee presented instructions on behalf of President Xi Jinping.
The key aspect of the conference presentation from Meng Jianzhu, head of the commission, stated that the CPC and law enforcement authorities "must resolutely cancel targets for criminal detention, arrests, prosecutions, convictions, settlements and other unreasonable targets for assessment."
According to the Reuters news outlet, the directional change has been motivated by calls from dissatisfied segments of the Chinese population.
The decision forms part of the ongoing governmental aim to "govern the country by law," heavily discussed at a major party meeting in 2014, but the Communist Party labeled the targets as "unreasonable items for assessment" on Tuesday.
At the time of the central conference, the state-controlled Chinese court system had become known for a 99.9-percent conviction rate, determined last year by the nation's Supreme Court.
Such statistics have received critical attention, both domestically and from overseas, as President Xi's government has allegedly detained numerous human rights lawyers and has sought to criminalize the acts of "insulting, defaming, or threatening a judicial officer."
In terms of future developments, the CPC discussed a public interest litigation system, which would be under the responsibility of the prosecution, in addition to a leniency program for those defendants who plead guilty.
The commission is also planning to investigate the option of separating judicial and implementation powers, and will research the feasibility of a lifelong ban for legal professionals who breach Chinese laws.
