Beijing prosecutors enhance contribution to urban development, people's livelihoods

Thanks to better handling of public interest cases, Beijing prosecutors have significantly strengthened their supervisory role in contributing to urban development and the improvement of people's livelihoods over the past decade.

Data recently released by the Beijing People's Procuratorate showed that through the handling of public interest litigation, the capital's prosecutors have supervised the cleanup of over 2 million metric tons of domestic and construction waste, as well as overseen the shutdown and rectification of 122 polluting enterprises and facilitated the demolition of 87,000 square meters of illegal construction.

Under the revised Civil Procedure Law and Administrative Procedure Law, prosecutors are empowered to provide recommendations and initiate legal action against government departments or enterprises if they are found to neglect their duties or commit errors in areas such as food safety, environmental protection, safeguarding the rights of women and children, and protecting national assets. The moves aim to strongly protect public interests.

According to the data, prosecutorial authorities across Beijing in the past 10 years have filed a total of 16,286 public interest cases, made 4,856 prosecutorial recommendations for administrations, and initiated 205 public interest lawsuits.

During the period, prosecutors citywide have strengthened targeted supervision in fields such as women's health, equal employment, and the prevention of domestic violence, with greater efforts to facilitate the development of an accessible environment by focusing on key locations, including parking lots, pharmacies, and stations, the Beijing People's Procuratorate said.

It revealed that Beijing prosecutors have also concentrated more on minor protection by handling cases involving the safety around school campuses, the failure of public venues to implement discount policies for children, the management of places unsuitable for minors' activities, the illegal sale of tobacco and alcohol to teenagers, the excessive collection of minors' personal information and the spread of harmful content via online platforms.

In addition, through case handling and legal actions, prosecutorial authorities have strengthened the protection of the elderly in areas such as diet and medication, cultural and recreational activities, daily living and travel, and property safety, it added.