(ECNS) -- A draft amendment to China's Criminal Procedure Law was submitted on Monday to the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) for deliberation, aiming to better punish crimes while further protecting the rights of participants in criminal proceedings.
The proposed amendments, comprising 55 articles, cover compulsory measures against persons, the sealing up, distraining, freezing and handling of property involved in criminal cases, criminal proceedings involving minors, and foreign-related criminal proceedings.
The draft adds provisions allowing victims, their legal representatives or close relatives to apply for legal aid in accordance with the law if they have not retained legal representatives for specified reasons.
The draft revision also includes provisions to ensure fair treatment for foreign suspects and defendants.
The Criminal Procedure Law is the fundamental law governing criminal proceedings in China. It was adopted at the second session of the Fifth National People's Congress in July 1979 and underwent two major revisions, in 1996 and 2012.
Since 2012, it has been partially amended, with revisions made in 2018 to support further reforms to the national supervisory and judicial systems.
(By Helen Mo)
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