The Supreme People's Court (SPC) of China has issued a list of 14 illegal activities that if courts engage in will result in state compensation to victims.

Citizens, companies and other organizations can appeal to the superior court for state compensation if their legitimate rights are infringed upon by subordinate courts. The appeal must be filed within two years of the violation.

The illegal actions mainly pertain to improper detention and mistreatment of property. Actions concerning detention include, among others, prolonged custody, and the failure to cancel an evidence-insufficient arrest order.

Illegal actions causing property losses include excessive fining, freezing or detaining legal property irrelevant to the case, improper protection of detained property, delayed execution of property, and forced selling off of property that should be auctioned.

The SPC also stipulated that actions excluded from the above-mentioned ones but might be illegal, acknowledged an SPC official. "But application of the item should be extremely prudent and strict," she said, noting that the legal rights of both applicants and the people's courts should be protected.

The judicial explanation will take effect on Oct. 1.

(Xinhua News Agency Sepetember 3, 2004)