China clears 1,845 cases of suspects in long custody without trial

China has cleared and settled 1,845 cases involving 4,459 suspects, who were placed in custody for more than three years without being charged, said sources with the Supreme People's Procuratorate on Saturday.

The number represents all the cases unveiled in a nationwide rectification campaign on prolonged custody in 2013, said Yuan Qiguo, a senior SPP prosecutor during an online interview.

Among the suspects, 3,451 had been placed in custody for less than five years, 926 for five to eight years, and 82 for eight years or above.

"Prolonged custody without trial not only infringes upon the suspect and the defendant's litigation rights, but also tarnishes the judicial organ's image and credibility and impairs social harmony and stability," Yuan said.

Amid enhanced supervision over the duration of criminal custody in recent years, the number of suspects, placed in custody for more than three years without being charged, had notably decreased, reducing from 4,459 in 2013 to six by 2015, the SPP figures show.

The prosecutor said China's procuratorates will continue to make efforts to prevent and settle new cases involving prolonged detention of suspects in order to safeguard the rights of the suspects and the defendants. Endi