BEIJING - Citizens' civil and political rights have been effectively protected, and the people have been guaranteed and supported to act as masters of their own country, according to a report reviewing the human rights development from 2012 to 2015 released by the Chinese government on Tuesday.

The supervision and examination against extortion of confession by torture and other illegal acts have been strengthened, it said.

Between 2012 and 2015, procuratorial organs made 869,775 remedial proposals on illegal acts during criminal investigations including abusing compulsory measures, collecting evidence through illegal means and extorting confessions by torture, according to the report.

In 2015, China handled 208 cases against 243 procurators for their violation of laws and disciplines, it added.

According to the report, between 2012 and 2015, procuratorial institutions across the country proposed release or changing compulsory measures for 83,341 people who were involved in cases unnecessary for detention, and case-handling organs accepted such proposals for 77,591 detainees, with the adoption rate standing at 93.1 percent.

Between 2012 and 2015, the people's courts at various levels found 3,369 suspects not guilty, the document said.

Tighter checks have been placed on the application of the death penalty. In August 2015, nine crimes were removed from the list of crimes subject to the death penalty in the Amendment (IX) to the Criminal Law, and therefore the number of crimes subject to the death penalty decreased from the previous 55 to 46, according to the report.

It added, in 2012, the Supreme People's Procuratorate established the Oversight Office on the Review of the Death Penalty, in an effort to strengthen legal supervision procedures on the review of the death penalty.

Second trials of death penalty cases have all been conducted in open courts. More importance is given to listening to the opinions of defense lawyers in the course of reviewing death penalty cases, the report read.

Freedom of religious belief is fully guaranteed. The work on the protection of pilgrimage activities of Muslims has constantly improved. The State Council established the mechanism of the inter-ministerial joint meeting on the work of pilgrimage made by believers in Islam, the document said.

Between 2011 and 2015, a total of 200 million yuan was invested in the renovation and expansion projects of religious places in Tibet, it added.

In terms of the right to be informed, between 2012 and 2015, the State Council Information Office organized 322 news conferences on the major meetings, major decisions and major work of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State.

The CPC Central Committee, the State Council and local CPC committees and governments organized more than 9,300 news conferences and news briefings, according to the report.

The system of people's self-governance at grassroots level has been further improved. The Ministry of Civil Affairs has formulated the Regulations and Procedures on the Election of Village Committees, and more than 98 percent of village committees are directly elected according to law, the document said.

It also read, social groups have become an important channel through which the masses of people take part in social management and public service. By the end of 2015, the number of social groups registered nationwide according to law had reached about 660,000, an increase of 32.3 percent over the corresponding period of 2012.

Social groups of various types nationwide had generated incomes of around 260 billion yuan, providing about 8.5 million people of various kinds with employment, and accepted donations of approximately 90 billion yuan.

In terms of the rights to be heard, the internet information platform has enriched channels through which citizens can have their voices heard. By the end of 2015, China's online population had reached 688 million and the internet penetration rate had reached 50.3 percent, according to the report.