Public security ministry guards cases against internal meddling

The Ministry of Public Security on Thursday unveiled a document on lawful working methods for officers assigned to prevent meddling in cases.

"The legitimate power of the police in law enforcement in criminal and administrative cases should be clearly defined and made public," said the document.

"A comprehensive system should be set up to record, report and punish police staff who meddle in investigative procedures of specific cases outside their duties," it said, adding that officers handling a certain case must not have private contact with involved parties and lawyers

The document echoed a key decision to reform the judicial system and ensure the independence of law enforcement organs based on rule of law.

According to the ministry, information concerning police law enforcement should be made public "as much as possible" to invite public scrutiny, and the liabilities of police officers in a wrongfully conviction must be pursued without expiration dates.

One high-profile wrongful conviction was a rape-murder case in 1996, in which an 18-year-old man named Huugjilt was convicted and executed in north China's Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. In December 2014, 18 years later, he was acquitted of the crimes. The higher court of Inner Mongolia is investigating those responsible.

Thursday's document stressed that evidence must be collected, preserved, examined and presented strictly in accordance with the law, and evidence obtained via illegal methods must be excluded.

It also urged the protection of the rights of the various parties involved in a case and their lawyers, noting that police departments must stick to the law when they "seal, impound, freeze, or dispose of" case-related money or material.