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Crime suspects have their privacy protected in Jinzhou

May Chan

Another mainland city - Jinzhou, in Liaoning province - has placed itself at the cutting edge of judicial reform by putting hoods over the heads of crime suspects being escorted to court. In adopting the practice, it joins Beijing, Nanning and Guangzhou.

Cao Xinzhong, a vice-president of a district court in Jinzhou, said the new practice was employed to protect suspects' privacy.

'This is in line with international practice,' Mr Cao said. 'On the one hand, [this] will not violate the privacy and human dignity of the suspects. On the other hand, the safety of the suspects can be protected this way.'

'From a justice point of view, [we] can avoid collusion among the suspects when they are being escorted to the courts.'

Four suspects of a criminal case enjoyed the new privilege on Wednesday when they appeared in court in Jinzhou. Xinhua did not give details of their alleged crimes.

The constitution enshrines the principle of presumption of innocence . The measure was implemented after six months of discussion, and with reference to international legal practice, and would apply to criminal cases, Mr Cao said.

A mainland lawyer urged the government to extend it to other cities. Ma Roupeng said doing so could better protect suspects' human rights.

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