NPC Standing Committee to review criminal liability of children 12 to 14

Children age 12 to 14 should be held criminally liable if they cause others serious injuries that led to severe disabilities by extremely cruel means, a senior legislator said on Monday.

The condition has been written into the third version of a draft amendment to the Criminal Law, according to Yue Zhongming, a spokesman of the Legislative Affairs Commission with the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

The draft will be submitted to the bimonthly session of the NPC Standing Committee on Tuesday for a third review.

In the second version, the draft amendment lowered the age of criminal responsibility to 12 in special situations to better respond to serious violent offenses by young people.

It stipulates children aged 12 to 14 will be held criminally liable if charges of intentional homicide or intentional injury causing death, or a crime committed by cruel means, are approved by the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

After the old version was opened to receive suggestions online, the commission received more than 8,400 opinions from 2,530 people, with some suggesting legislators make children who use extremely cruel means that cause serious injuries face criminal liability, Yue said.

Under the Criminal Law, the age of criminal responsibility is currently 16. Young people aged between 14 and 16 only face criminal liability if they commit serious violent offenses, such as intentional homicide, rape or robbery. Those under the age of 14 who commit crimes are exempted from criminal punishment under the law.

The third version of the draft amendment also strengthens punishment of those harming intellectual property rights, and clarifies heavier punishments for government officials who help organize or incite people to steal identities for college enrollment or job seeking, Yue added.