Supreme court launches video network for petitions

The Supreme People's Court (SPC) on Friday launched a video network that allows petitioners against legal verdicts to have their appeals filmed and transmitted to higher-level courts.

As part of efforts to create more channels for petitions, the SPC has regulated that petitioners can apply for use of the new channel either at the court that gave their case's first-instance verdict or the lower court whose jurisdiction covers their place of residence.

If the verdict that petitioners want to complain about had been dismissed by the higher people's court, they will be eligible to express their complaints to the SPC through the video system, which links more than 3,300 courts nationwide at present, according to the regulation.

However, if their cases were not handled by the higher people's court, their complaints will be jointly received and discussed by the SPC and a higher people's court, according to the regulation.

SPC Vice President Jing Hanchao said the creation of the video network is an effort to reform the court's petition system, and expressed hope that the move will make it easier for people to make complaints.

Earlier this year, the SPC opened its official online petition platform.