A former senior legislator in Northeast China's Liaoning province has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for election malpractice and bribery, a court in Shandong province said on Monday.
Legal professionals have called for stricter supervision of police officers when questioning suspects during their first 24 hours at police bureaus to prevent forced confessions and reduce wrongful convictions.
President Xi Jinping says the country should look ahead to the future, lay out a solid foundation and establish a good system while advancing the rule of law.
He Xianxiang has become a well-known figure on Chinese social media since he posted details of the 170,000 yuan ($24,630) fee he was charged for expert testimony in a civil dispute.
Third-party judicial appraisal institutes face strict new regulations after a businessman sparked a social media storm by posting details of the sky-high fee he was charged for verification of evidence required for a court case.
Legislators have been engaged in heat discussion over an application by the Supreme People's Court to extend a pilot program on how Chinese juries are selected.
A two-year pilot program to increase public participation in legal proceedings and improve the standing of court rulings is expected to be extended by a year to May 2018, according to a draft submitted to China's top legislature on April 24.
At the invitation of his Portuguese counterpart, Zhou Qiang, president of the China's Supreme People's Court (SPC), started a three-day visit to Portugal on April 17.
