A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has
called on people's courts around China to ensure the smooth
implementation of the death penalty reform.
Luo Gan, a member of the Standing Committee of
the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and secretary of the CPC
Central Committee for Political and Legislative Affairs, made this
call on Monday at a national conference on criminal trials.
Legislative changes to China's organic law in the people's
courts came last month after amendment was ratified by China's top
legislature, requiring all death penalties to be approved by the
Supreme People's Court (SPC) from January 1, 2007 onwards.
Luo also asked the courts at various levels to further improve
the capability of their personnel and crack down on criminal
activities. He further stressed that the protection of human rights
should be improved by strictly carrying out relevant criminal
procedures.
The meeting was presided over by Xiao Yang, president of the Supreme People's
Court.
(Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2006)