Beijing: China on Saturday refuted Human Rights
Watch (HRW) criticism over deteriorating human rights
situation in Tibet, amid tense stand off in the region over a
spate of suicides by Buddhist monks and anti-regime protests.
The People`s Daily, the flagship newspaper of the
Communist Party of China (CPC), denied HRW criticism that
"police dominate criminal justice system, which relies
disproportionately on defendants` confessions."
"Weak courts and tight limits on the rights of the
defence mean that forced confessions under torture remain
prevalent and miscarriages of justice frequent," HRW said.
The Daily said HRW statement "seriously distorted" the
truth of China`s human rights conditions as a whole and its
description of the country`s judicial reforms is "particularly
biased and untrue."
"It is known that China`s criminal justice system is not
dominated by police organs, but consists of investigation
organs led by the police organs, people`s procuratorates and
people`s courts," said the article.
The rejoinder came as China grappled with continuing
protests by Tibetan in Sichuan province.
Sixteen monks and nuns attempted self immolations in the
recent months calling for return of Dalai Lama.
China said two protestors were killed early this week
when demonstrators clashed with police.
The daily said under Chinese law, criminal prosecution
proposals raised by police must be reviewed by procuratorial
authorities before a decision on whether to bring criminal
cases to court can be made by the latter.
China`s criminal justice system is not dominated by
police organs, but operates based on the work of all three
parties -- people`s courts, people`s procuratorates, and
police -- who play their own assigned roles and restrain from
each other, the article said.
"The rights and role of defence lawyers in the handling
of criminal cases has been strengthened, and the phenomenon of
excessive reliance on defendants` confessions is diminishing,"
it said.
PTI
