China’s public prosecutors warned to be alert to risk of popular backlash over handling of cases
- An editorial in an official newspaper also urges prosecuting authorities to resist ‘wrong’ Western views about judicial independence and separation of powers
- The authorities in China have imposed tight controls on expression and views any form of public outcry as a risk to social stability
China’s public prosecutors have been warned to be alert to the risk of a popular backlash when handling court cases.
The Chinese government has imposed some of the world’s strictest controls on public expression, but is still hypersensitive to the risk of any public outcry, which it fears could threaten social stability.
The instruction to prosecutors came in a front-page editorial for The Procuratorial Daily, a mouthpiece for the country’s top prosecuting body, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.
The article urged prosecutors to “resolutely oppose and resist wrong Western views of constitutionalism, the separation of powers and judicial independence”, echoing comments by President Xi Jinping.
In a further echo of Xi, it also said prosecutors should “dare to fight and fight well”.
They were also urged to standardise the handling of cases, ensure they were handled well and avoid a public backlash by ensuring cases were dealt with properly from the start.