Other Views

No more coerced confessions

Compared with 18 years ago, China's courts today issue the death penalty more cautiously and review the cases more strictly, which decreases the possibility of wrong verdicts. Yet much remains to be done to prevent similar wrongs. The law that excludes evidence obtained by torture needs to be better implemented, and presumption of innocence as a principle should be followed.

Workers' Daily, Dec 17

Reports say solid evidence showing Huugjilt's innocence were found in 2005 but those who wrongly sentenced him to death prevented a retrial for nine years. A wrong case can be righted; a corrupt system that denies its own mistakes only leads to more wrong cases. It is necessary to thoroughly investigate the process, and propel reform accordingly, so as to close the loopholes that make judicial corruption possible.

eastday.com, Dec 16

The retrial of Huugjilt was done without any new evidence, which means the old evidence did not support his being guilty. Merely correcting the wrong case is far from enough and people need to know how the wrong verdict was issued. We expect a fair and comprehensive investigation into the process, upon which hangs people's trust in the rule of law.

people.com.cn, Dec 16

Judicial staff members are mortals, too, and they make mistakes the same as everyone else; that's why some wrong verdicts are forgiven. However, reports show the possibility of policemen tricking, perhaps even torturing Huugjilt to obtain his guilty confession for their own promotion; this is not a mistake, but the intentional framing of an innocent man. If found true, the policemen must pay for their deeds.

Zhang Jianwei, professor of law at Tsinghua University, Legal Daily, Dec 17

An innocent person was put to death in the name of law; no one wants such a tragedy to be repeated in the future and that's why an investigation is necessary. The final sentence that found Huugjilt innocent is not the end of justice, and everybody is waiting for the next stage.

yunnan.cn, Dec 16