Interpretation on Criminal Procedure Law released

BEIJING - The country's top court on Monday released a judicial interpretation for the amended Criminal Procedure Law to help courts better adapt to the revised law and ensure clients' rights.

The lengthy interpretation mainly targets newly added or revised provisions of the amended law and explains relevant provisions that need to be further defined, according to a statement from the Supreme People's Court (SPC).

It also rectifies or clarifies some previous provisions that were problematic, the SPC said.

The Criminal Procedural Law was amended in March during the annual session of the National People's Congress, the top legislative body, to include the phrase "respecting and protecting human rights" in the law's first chapter.

The revised law stresses protecting suspects and defendants from "illegal restriction, detention and arrest."

The judicial interpretation contains specific stipulations on new legal proceedings for juvenile criminal cases and compulsory medical treatment cases to ensure legal judgments.

It also stipulates the appearance of the witness, identifier and expert to ensure the parties' right of confrontation.

Compensation standards for incidental civil actions are also clarified in the interpretation, according to the SPC statement.

The SPC statement said the interpretation, which will go into effect along with the new Criminal Procedure Law on January 1, 2013, will help ensure the effective implementation of the law and safeguard human rights.

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