SPC releases civil lawsuit examples to aid transparency

China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) Monday released seven examples of lawsuits regarding disputes over people's livelihoods in an effort to increase information transparency.

The seven cases include lawsuits over State compensation, copyright, environmental protection, medical treatment and property demolition.

"Judicial authorities should not only release this information, but also make it useful," SPC spokesperson Sun Jungong said at a press conference on Monday.

He added that openness could lead to justice and this information disclosure could help promote public understanding of the relevant law.

In one of the examples given, Zhang Hui and his uncle received 2.2 million yuan ($362,797) of State compensation in May, 2013 after serving 10 years in prison for a rape-murder case they did not commit.

"Mental compensation fees are generally under 100,000 yuan in China. The final verdict shows a touch of humanity and was approved by the SPC," said Chen Xianjie, vice director with the compensation office under the SPC.

In another example, Yang Jiang, a famous writer, sued an auction company in Beijing after the company put Yang and her family's personal letters up for sale. A local court later halted the auction, citing reasons that the company had infringed Yang's copyright. Yang received 200,000 yuan of compensation.

"Anyone's letter is deemed as his or her work. If the letter is leaked, the copyright and privacy of the author are violated," said Zhang Xiaojin, head of copyright sector under Beijing No.2 Intermediate People's Court. "This case could help protect the privacy of letter writers."