Full Text: Work report of NPC Standing Committee (7)

We focused oversight work on promoting justice in the judicial system. We have been using a combination of oversight means in recent years to urge responsible departments to solve problems such as overly long periods of detention, and promote improvements in local-level organizations, personnel and internal oversight in the court and procuratorial systems, and our efforts have produced results. Last year we investigated compliance with the Law on

Judges and the Law on Public Procurators, and listened to, deliberated and approved reports from the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate on the campaigns to standardize the actions of the courts and law enforcement. Over the last year or so the national court and procuratorial systems carried out special correction campaigns in accordance with the comments of the Standing Committee.

First, they addressed major problems that have aroused strong resentment among the people such as the difficulties of bringing lawsuits to court and ensuring that court decisions are carried out, and they did not try to avoid difficult issues and problems.

Second, they carried out a full review to remedy problems, starting with work positions and links where problems often occur. They carried out both rearrangements and corrections and tried to achieve substantive results.

Third, they paid particular attention to making institutional improvements and focused on setting up permanent mechanisms.

Fourth, they steadfastly made their actions more transparent by conscientiously accepting oversight by people's congresses and other sources.

The members of the Standing Committee recognize the achievements of the special correction campaigns and call on the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate to focus on the major problems uncovered in the correction campaigns, increase efforts to improve personnel, pay close attention to implementing systems, always stay open-minded and transparent, strengthen internal oversight, maintain strict accountability and

continuously deepen correction activities on the basis of consolidation of the results already achieved.

We investigated compliance with the Law on the Autonomy of Ethnic Minority Areas and the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Returned Overseas Chinese and Their Relatives. This was the first time this has been done since the two laws were enacted, and this was a focus in the Standing Committee's oversight work last year. The system of autonomous ethnic minority areas is a basic political system of China. Since the Law on the Autonomy of Ethnic Minority Areas was first enacted over 20 years ago, it has effectively promoted economic and social development in ethnic minority areas, provided a guarantee for the democratic and political rights of ethnic minority groups and promoted constant strengthening and development of socialist ethnic relations of equality, unity, mutual assistance and harmony.

However, economic and social development in ethnic minority areas has lagged behind that of the rest of the country for a variety of reasons and the task of alleviating poverty in those areas remains daunting. The Central Committee is very concerned about this problem, and General Secretary Hu Jintao issued important instructions calling on the Standing Committee to pay close attention to understanding the state of economic and social development in small population ethnic minority groups when investigating compliance with the law. The investigating group visited 11 provinces and autonomous regions and carried out a special investigation of conditions among 22 ethnic minority groups with small populations. The Standing Committee called on all local governments and government offices to strengthen their sense of responsibility and be more conscientious in carrying out the Law on the Autonomy of Ethnic Minority Areas, increase assistance to ethnic minority areas and groups, especially groups with small populations, promote economic and social development in ethnic minority areas and uphold and improve the system of autonomous ethnic minority areas. (More)