Courts must do more to boost transparency

Transparency of the judiciary is the key objective in document disclosure, said an article in Beijing News Daily (excerpts below).

The Supreme People's Court opened an official website to publicize judgment documents on Friday.

The documents are the main channel for the courts to explain the laws, receive supervision and publicize the concept of rule-by-law.

Most documents are only read in the courts and sent to relevant departments. The limited publicity restricts public supervision.

The Supreme Court should gradually disclose all the judgment files to the public. However, the Supreme Court's regulation on document disclosure does not mention this target. So it is up to the courts to decide but this does nothing to boost public confidence in the procedure.

It is a good move and a start but much more remains to be done.