Further revisions to Criminal Procedure Law amendment
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E-mail Xinhua, March 13, 2012
Revisions were put forward Tuesday to five articles of the draft amendment to China's Criminal Procedure Law before it goes for vote at the closing meeting of the annual session of the National People's Congress, the top legislature, on Wednesday.
According to the NPC Law Committee, the proposed revisions include one that would require law enforcement agencies to forward suspects' or defendants' requests for an attorney to an appointed third party.
Another would require the Supreme People's Court, when reviewing death sentences, to make inquiries of defendants. Under the current draft amendment, such inquiries are not compulsory.
A third revision suggests that evidence collected in an unlawful way be nullified.
The draft amendment of the law was submitted Thursday to the ongoing 5th NPC session for third reading and underwent one previous revision before the current round of proposals.
In the previous revision, eight articles were revised, which, among other things, would allow a suspect's guardians or close relatives to engage a lawyer for him or her, and closed-door trials can be granted in cases involving commercial secrets if litigants so request.
Hu Kangsheng, chairman of the NPC Law Committee, said after deliberation, deputies considered that the draft had incorporated suggestions from all sides and was "mature" enough for final vote.
The current proposed revision has to be approved by the session's presidium before being incorporated into the draft for vote on Wednesday.
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