China Daily:

We notice that in recent years procuratorial organs have worked hard to advance the public hearing system. What kind of cases will be publicly heard? What role do public hearings play in procuratorial work? Thank you.

Chen Guoqing:

In recent years, procuratorial organs have deepened procuratorial reform by carrying out public hearings on difficult and complicated cases to encourage extensive public participation in social governance. This represents a major measure taken by the people's procuratorates to conduct whole-process democracy and effectively resolve the troubles and pains of the people. 

During handling cases of various types, procuratorial organs should take measures to ensure that all cases in need could be publicly heard as appropriate. For non-prosecution cases, criminal appeal cases, civil and administrative litigation supervision cases, and public interest litigation cases, if they are in dispute over the findings of fact, the application of law, and the handling of cases, or if they have huge implications, public hearings should be held for prosecutors to hear opinions directly from litigants and other personnel involved.

Since 2020, procuratorial organs have carried out public hearings on more than 216,000 cases that covered four major procuratorial functions regarding criminal, civil, administrative, and public interest litigation and 10 major procuratorial activities (including those against commonplace criminal offenses, serious criminal offenses, work-related offenses, economic offenses, juvenile delinquency, and those involving inspections of the enforcement of penal decisions, civil litigation, administrative litigation, public interest litigation, and accusation and appeal). The public hearing system has effectively enhanced judicial transparency and justice and helped illustrate the law and defuse social tensions so as to better achieve our purpose of administrating justice for the people.

In particular, the procurators-general of the people's procuratorates at all levels have taken the lead in chairing public hearings and releasing information on the judicial process and the legal basis. By doing so, they were able to illustrate the law in a way that people can see and understand.  

Since 2020, leading officials of the SPP have chaired public hearings on 15 major and difficult cases. For example, a criminal appeal case in Fujian province was very difficult and complicated because it involved both civil and criminal litigation. SPP Procurator-General Zhang Jun chaired a public hearing on this case, conducted deep and profound communication, and illustrated the law in person with the appellant, the person not to be prosecuted, and their attorney agents. After the hearing, both parties signed a conciliation agreement. In this way, appeals and complaints could be resolved as appropriate with cases settled and conciliation reached. 

Of the public hearings held by the three levels of local procuratorates, 10.2% are chaired by the procurators-general. As a result, the handling rate of social problems and disputes has risen significantly. In 2021, the rate of procuratorial organs nationwide preventing and handling social problems and disputes through public hearings reached 95.6%. We have successfully settled many cases that were long on the agenda but never resolved. Thank you.

Chen Wenjun:

Thanks to our speakers as well as friends from the press. Today's press conference concludes here.

Translated and edited by Zhou Jing, Liu Sitong, Yuan Fang, Zhang Rui, Zhang Tingting, Zhang Junmian, Ma Yujia, Xu Kailin, Qin Qi, Li Xiao, Wang Qian, Wang Yiming, Li Huiru, David Ball, Tom Arnsten, and Jay Birbeck. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.