Legal reforms a 'litmus test' of Xi Jinping's commitment to change
Analysts will be watching to see if vow to scrap labour-camp system is kept, saying it will prove whether new leader is serious about change
The Communist Party's proposed reforms to the legal system, particularly one to "halt" the controversial re-education through labour system, will prove a major litmus test of new leader Xi Jinping's oft-repeated commitment to transparency and the rule of law, analysts say.
And the latest development is just a first step, they added.
Security tsar Meng Jianzhu told a national law-and-order work conference on Monday that the government would proceed with reforms in four areas this year: the re-education through labour system; the petitions system; the use of judicial power; and the household registration system.
Teng Biao , a Beijing-based human-rights lawyer, said they were the areas "where abuse of human rights and violation of social justice by law enforcement officers is most widespread".
Gu Su , a law professor and political affairs analyst at Nanjing University, said: "These are most controversial areas, which have been the main sources of public dissatisfaction for years."
Mo Shaoping , another Beijing-based human-rights lawyer, said scrapping the re-education through labour system would be a significant development because it "violated the basic principles of China's constitutional law and human rights".
Xi has promised to strengthen the mainland's legal system since his elevation to party general secretary in November, saying the government should improve the public credibility of legal affairs, "striving to ensure that the public feels that justice is served in every legal case".