More than 800 convictions overturned in 2013

More than 800 people in China had their convictions overturned in 2013, the Supreme People's Court said on Monday.

Chinese courts have made headlines by overturning several wrongful convictions over the past 12 months, in which 825 people were belatedly found innocent, according to a work report issued by China's top court.

The SPC also said it attached importance to communication with lawyers and listening to their ideas, aiming to respect and protect their rights, said the report.

In May, Zhang Gaoping and his nephew Zhang Hui were each awarded 1.1 million yuan ($180,000) in compensation after their 2003 conviction for rape and murder was overturned.

In the report, the top court also said each grassroots court should learn a lesson from the exposed wrongful cases and pay more attention to eliminating illegal evidence.

Every court should establish a work system to avoid judgment mistakes, the report added.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate also stressed in a published work report on Monday that it will continue to try to prevent wrongful cases.

In 2013, requested arrests were not approved for 100,157 people, because the cases in which they were involved had insufficient evidence or their behavior was not identified as a crime after investigation, according to the top prosecuting authority's report. The figure increased by 9.4 percent year-on-year.

Prosecutors will also communicate with courts in a timely manner and raise their opinions of cases that need retrial, said the report.

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn