China Passes Rights Act
- By Unknown
- Mar. 19 1996 00:00
The reforms, overwhelmingly approved during the closing session of the congress, for the first time establish the presumption of innocence for criminal defendants, set a limit of 30 days in which police can hold suspects without formally charging them, and give defendants the right to consult a lawyer.
The chairman of the congress, Qiao Shi, hailed the reforms, slated to take effect Jan. 1, 1997, as a step toward the establishment of "rule of law and development of a socialist legal system.''