Page 8 - COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE FOURTH PLENARY SESSION OF THE 18TH CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA

We must press ahead with the strict administration of justice; remain
committed to carrying out judgment on the basis of facts and law; implement
reform of the litigation process focusing on courtroom hearings; and adopt a
lifelong accountability system to guarantee the quality handling of cases and a
system to retrospectively hold judges accountable for erroneous rulings.

We must guarantee the people’s participation in the administration of justice,
particularly in judicial mediation, judicial hearings, and complaints about
litigation-related issues filed through letters and visits; improve the system of
people’s assessors; and create a mechanism that keeps the judiciary “in the
sunshine,” making it open, dynamic, transparent, and convenient for the public to
access.

We must provide stronger judicial protection of human rights. We must
tighten oversight of judicial activities; improve the legislation regarding the
exercise of supervisory power by procuratorates; increase legal oversight of
criminal, civil, and administrative litigation; improve the system of people’s
supervisors; and make it absolutely impermissible to show leniency beyond the law,
or handle any case which is in any way influenced by guanxi, personal favors, or
money.

It was also stated at the session that the authority of the law comes from the
people’s heartfelt support for and faith in it. People’s rights and interests need to
be safeguarded by the law, and the authority of the law needs to be upheld by the
people. We must promote the socialist rule of law, develop a socialist rule of law
culture, encourage all members of society to show greater enthusiasm for and
initiative in promoting the rule of law, and create an atmosphere in which people
feel it is honorable to abide by the law while disgraceful to break the law, so that all
our people will faithfully advocate, consciously observe, and firmly safeguard the
socialist rule of law.

We need to help all of society to develop awareness about the rule of law,
intensify publicity and education in this regard, and incorporate such education
into the national education system and our initiatives on cultural and ethical
progress.

We need to advance law-based governance at multiple levels and in different
sectors; remain committed to practicing systemic governance, law-based
governance, comprehensive governance, and governance that addresses the root
causes of problems; intensify law-based governance in community-level
organizations, as well as government departments and industries; support all kinds
of entities in exercising self-restraint and self-management; and make use of the
positive role that codes of conduct for citizens, industry rules and regulations,
charters of organizations, and other social norms can play in social governance.

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