China's chief justice Xiao Yang said on Friday people's courts should
keep a balance between strictness and leniency when trying
important and major criminal cases.
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Xiao Yang, president of the Supreme People's
Court (File Photo)
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"In the trial process no one is allowed to show excessive mercy
and grant favor (to the accused) in violation of the law. At the
same time, social or media pressure cannot lead to heavy or
excessive penalties," said Xiao at an on-going national
conference.
He urged people's courts at all levels to improve their
capabilities of trying major criminal cases, saying that courts
should be loyal to law, obey laws and realize the fairness and
justness of law in their trial work, be good at analyzing and
making judgment in line with law, accurately distinguish between
guilt and innocence and differentiate different crimes.
Judgments should be made accurately following lawful procedures
and sufficient evidence must be provided, so that every major
criminal trial can stand the test of history and social
judgment.
At the conference, Xiao also said people's courts should regard
the trial of cases relating to corruption and dereliction of duty
as an urgent task reflecting the life and death of the Party and
the nation.
He said people's courts, as an important anti-corruption power,
should implement the principle that everyone is equal before the
law.
Every defendant, no matter how high?his or her?rank
should be punished according to law without favor, said Xiao.
(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2007)