Space Travel News  
THE STANS
China terror convictions nearly doubled in 2015
by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) March 13, 2016


Convictions for state security crimes including "violent terrorism" nearly doubled in 2015, figures from China's top court showed Sunday, following a "strike hard" campaign to quell unrest in the largely Muslim region of Xinjiang and crackdowns on civil society.

Chinese courts convicted 1,419 on charges related to "endangering national security and violent terrorism" in 2015, Zhou Qiang, head of the Supreme People's Court, said in a report to the annual session of the Communist-controlled National People's Congress (NPC).

Last year, the country reported that its courts had convicted 712 on broadly similar charges of "violent terrorist attacks" and "splittism" -- attempts to advocate independence for regions of China.

The national security convictions occurred as the courts "actively took part in anti-terror, anti-separatist and anti-cult struggles", Zhou said.

- Human rights activists convicted -

Chinese courts sentenced 1084 people for "violent terrorist crimes" and another 335 for other crimes related to "endangering national security".

The report did not detail crimes included in the second category, but Chinese legal expert Susan Finder said that "if you look at the list of national security crimes, human rights activists would have been convicted of some of them."

China aggressively increased pressure on civil society last year, carrying out mass detentions of civil rights lawyers and campaigners.

The moves came as the country passed a new national security law that experts feared would expand the government's power to prosecute political dissidents.

The majority of the convictions, however, seem to be related to Beijing's launch last year of a "strike hard" campaign in Xinjiang aimed at stopping unrest that has claimed hundreds of lives.

In recent years, violence in the region has led to hundreds of deaths that Beijing attributes to Islamic extremism and foreign influence, but which activists say are a response to draconian restrictions on the area's religious and cultural life.

Since starting the campaign in 2014, the government has jailed hundreds, put scores to death, and perhaps killed hundreds more in police actions that have been widely decried by human rights campaigners.

And the "high pressure policy" is set to continue, Xinjiang's Communist Party boss Zhang Chunxian told reporters this week.

- Force to extract confessions -

Overall conviction rates for the country remained close to 100 percent in 2015, Sunday's report showed, even as Beijing vows legal reforms aimed at reducing wrongful convictions.

A total of 1,039 accused were found innocent by Chinese courts in 2015, Zhou said, compared to 1.232 million who were found guilty -- a conviction rate of 99.92 percent, almost exactly the same as the previous year.

The use of force to extract confessions remains widespread in China and rights groups say suspects often do not have an effective defence in criminal trials, leading to regular miscarriages of justice.

Courts are politically controlled, with activists who come to trial virtually certain to be found guilty.

Public anger has mounted over miscarriages of justice, and in recent years courts have reversed death sentences in a handful of cases.

In February alone, five men were acquitted of murder charges for which they had been wrongly jailed more than two decades earlier.

Chinese courts "corrected" 1,357 verdicts in 2015, the report said, but only explained the outcome of three cases.

Zhou said the country should draw lessons from the acquittals and "improve the mechanisms which can effectively prevent and correct false and wrong cases in a timely manner".

The Communist Party has pledged to ensure the "rule of law with Chinese characteristics" and said it will lessen the influence of local officials over courts.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
News From Across The Stans






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
THE STANS
IS jihadists contained in small part of Afghanistan: US general
Washington (AFP) March 10, 2016
The Islamic State jihadist group is unable to make significant inroads in Afghanistan and its fighters are contained in a small part of the country, a US general said Thursday. The Islamic State in Afghanistan and Pakistan - named a year ago by the group's leadership - has stepped up its offensive in the east of the country in recent months. However, the group, which is also called ISL ... read more


THE STANS
ISRO launches PSLV C32, India's sixth navigation satellite

SpaceX launches SES-9 satellite to GEO; but booster landing fails

US Space Company in Talks With India to Launch Satellite

At last second, SpaceX delays satellite launch again

THE STANS
Mars robot launch now scheduled for May 2018: NASA

Proton-M carrier rocket assembled ahead of Mars Mission

Great tilt gave Mars a new face

Space simulation crew hits halfway mark til August re-entry

THE STANS
China to use data relay satellite to explore dark side of moon

NASA May Return to Moon, But Only After Cutting Off ISS

Lunar love: When science meets artistry

New Lunar Exhibit Features NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Imagery

THE STANS
Methane Snow on Pluto's Peaks

Versatile Instrument to Scout for Kuiper Belt Objects

The Frozen Canyons of Pluto's North Pole

The Frozen Canyons of Pluto's North Pole

THE STANS
Evidence found for unstable heavy element at solar system formation

Imaging Technique May Help Discover Earth-Like Planets Around Other Stars

Newly discovered planet in the Hyades cluster could shed light on planetary evolution

Imaging technique may help discover Earth-like planets

THE STANS
US Air Force awards ULA and XCOR contract for upper stage propulsion

NASA Prepares to Fly - First RS-25 Flight Engine Test Set for March

US Air Force reveals cost of Russian rocket engines' replacement

Aerojet and ULA partner with USAF to develop RD-180 replacement engine

THE STANS
Aim Higher: China Plans to Send Rover to Mars in 2020

China's lunar probe sets record for longest stay

Moving in to Tiangong 2

Logistics Rule on Tiangong 2

THE STANS
Don't Panic: asteroid won't hit Earth but will get close

Small Asteroid to Pass Close to Earth March 8

Should we work together in the race to mine the solar system

NASA Invites Public to Send Artwork to an Asteroid









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.