Controversial list of 'illegal' petitioners is halted
Officials put an end to a controversial system of ranking grievances that led to illegal detentions
The state body that oversees petitioners has stopped compiling a controversial monthly ranking table that was originally intended as a measure of local officials' performance but instead has been blamed for prompting acts of abuse and the illegal detention of people seeking redress from senior leaders.
The Southern Metropolis Daily reports that the State Bureau for Letters and Calls - an office of the State Council - was ordered to stop compiling a monthly ranking of the number of "illegal petitioners" from different provinces after the new leadership was installed in March.
For centuries, mainlanders have expressed grievances by petitioning their leaders, often travelling from the far ends of the country to do so.
In more recent times, if a low number of petitioners made their way to the capital, then it was seen as an indication of how well local officials were maintaining stability in their regions.
As illegal land grabs, corruption and other wrongdoings have added to people's grievances, petitioning in the capital is still seen as a last chance to obtain justice.
The former leadership was keen to keep such problems hidden to maintain an impression of social order, while local officials still see petitioners as a threat to their career advancement.