Report highlights China's judicial progress

China has made good progress in regulating judicial procedures and correcting wrongful convictions, according to an annual report on the country's rule of law released on Monday.

The report, made and issued by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, highlighted a series of judicial interpretations or guidelines that were issued last year, including ones on regulating behaviors of public security officials and improving judicial supervision.

"All the documents aim to protect human rights by regulating legal procedures," said Zhao Jianwen, a researcher at the academy.

Chinese courts, public security bureaus and prosecuting authorities at all levels have realized the importance of dealing with cases in accordance with legal procedures and aim "to reduce wrongful convictions by governing their behavior", he said.

The report also showed that 3,369 people who had been wrongfully convicted were exonerated and released between 2012 and 2015.

"The correction of these miscarriages of justice pushes forward the rule of law. As the last line of defense protecting human rights, justice must be upheld," Zhao said.