Chinese prosecutors to step up supervision of police investigations

Chinese prosecutors will strengthen supervision of police investigations to safeguard human rights and prevent wrongful convictions, a top prosecutor said Monday.

According to Deputy Procurator-General Sun Qian, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPC) will explore ways to "set up a supervision mechanism for criminal investigations by the police" and to offer consultation on major cases.

The goal is to further incorporate the rule of law into the handling of cases, Sun said, adding that the prevention of miscarriages of justice should be a bottomline requirement.

Prosecutors should focus on evidence in criminal cases and scrutinize arrest procedures, Sun said, adding that supervision over judicial and investigative measures that limit individual liberty must also be improved.

Sun's remarks follow a number of highly-publicized wrongful convictions that raised concerns over miscarriages of justice in China.

One such conviction was that of Huugjilt from Inner Mongolia, who was still a teenager when he was wrongly executed for the rape and murder of a woman in June 1996.

A self-confessed serial rapist and killer, Zhao Zhihong, admitted to the crime while in police custody in 2005.

In December, Huugjilt had his innocence officially announced by Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Higher People's Court. His parents were awarded state compensation of more than 2 million yuan (322,399 U.S. dollars).

Zhao was sentenced to death in February for multiple crimes, including the crime that Huugjilt was executed for. Endit