VIII. Steady Improvement in the Legal Protection of Human Rights

The rule of law provides the most effective protection for human rights. Xizang continues to advance law-based governance and strengthen respect for and protection of human rights throughout the process of legislation, law enforcement, judicature and the observance of the law. The region resolutely defends social fairness and justice and makes consistent efforts to strengthen legal protection of human rights. 

- Sound legislation embodies respect for and protection of human rights.

Xizang has issued local regulations to uphold and protect human rights as mandated by national laws. By the end of 2024, the People's Congress of the Xizang Autonomous Region and its Standing Committee had enacted and implemented 171 local regulations, and resolutions and decisions with the same legal standing as regulations. Among these, 136 are currently in effect, while 35 have been repealed. These measures ensure that citizens are able to enjoy political, economic, social, cultural and environmental rights in accordance with the law. 

- Law-based administration protects the legitimate rights and interests of citizens. 

Xizang continues to strengthen law-based administration to see to it that power is prescribed by law, and that it is exercised, constrained and supervised in accordance with the law, thereby ensuring all government activities are consistent with the rule of law. The region has issued local regulations, rules and other normative documents, including the Regulations of the Xizang Autonomous Region on the Supervision of Administrative Law Enforcement, the Regulations of the Xizang Autonomous Region on Discretion over Administrative Law Enforcement, and the Interim Regulations of the Xizang Autonomous Region on Major Administrative Decision-Making Procedures, to promote strict, procedure-based, impartial and non-abusive law enforcement. Xizang has established an administrative hearing system to keep the exercise of power under effective restraint and supervision. Additionally, the region has worked to promote transparency in government affairs in accordance with the law, while standardizing cyber law enforcement and expanding supervision over law enforcement in cyber security, information security, data security, and personal information protection. 

- Law enforcement and administration of justice are strengthened to guarantee human rights. 

To make the people feel that justice has been served in every case, judicial departments at all levels in Xizang have endeavored to protect the legitimate rights and interests of litigants in accordance with the law. During judicial proceedings, translators or interpreters can be hired, and their native languages can be used to hear cases and produce legal documents in accordance with the needs of litigant participants, so as to protect the right of citizens of ethnic minority groups to use their native languages in litigation. Xizang has also improved the judicial relief system. From January 2016 to December 2024, people's courts at all levels in the region received 1,416 judicial relief cases and concluded 1,397 of them, with a total of RMB28.69 million of judicial aid granted.

Xizang adheres to the principles of legality and presumption of innocence, and has worked to reform the criminal litigation system centered on the court trial. It fully guarantees the right of defense to criminal suspects and defendants, and protects defense lawyers' right to examine case files, conduct cross-examination, and defend. Detention centers at all levels have standardized the design and construction of lawyers' meeting rooms to improve the efficiency of lawyers' work. In view of the fact that the region has a large territory and a small population, Xizang has set up meeting places equipped with remote video meeting systems for online meetings, thereby expanding the channels for meetings to ensure that criminal proceedings can be carried out smoothly. 

Prisons and detention centers protect the rights of prisoners and detainees to appeal, report and make charges, and submit to the supervision of procuratorial offices, law enforcement supervisors, and non-governmental entities. In addition to fixed-station procuratorial work, the people's procuratorates have established a system to conduct circuit inspections on prisons and detention centers in the region, and have invited deputies to people's congresses, CPPCC members, and representatives of relatives of prisoners to serve as law enforcement supervisors. 

- Education, training and outreach activities on human rights are extensive. 

An extensive educational campaign has been carried out to raise awareness of the Chinese socialist legal system with the Constitution at the core. In order to promote public understanding of human rights while improving public understanding of laws, Xizang has issued the Regulations of the Xizang Autonomous Region on the Awareness-Raising and Education on the Rule of Law, the Eighth Five-Year Plan for Raising the Awareness of the Rule of Law in the Region (2021-2025), and the Guidelines of the Xizang Autonomous Region on Adopting a Responsibility System for Government Departments to Publicize the Law While Enforcing It. 

Public servants have also received training on human rights and the rule of law. Since the launch of the Eighth Five-Year Plan for Raising Public Awareness of the Rule of Law (2021-2025), Xizang has organized leading officials to study and apply the law, with a focus on Party regulations and state laws and regulations. It has organized over 30 exams of various types for over 1.6 million examinees through an online platform for studying laws. The region works to open courses on the rule of law which integrates human rights knowledge and covers all the students in various types of schools in the region. 

The region has carried out a campaign to train villagers with legal knowledge to take the lead in promoting the rule of law. By 2024, 22,100 villagers had been trained, 5,863 households in agricultural and pastoral areas had been cited as models for their outstanding performance in legal education and application of the law, and 71 villages and urban communities had been named national models for promoting democracy and the rule of law. The number of legal counselors to villages and urban communities continues to increase across the region, and all villages and urban communities now have full coverage. The region has also worked to strengthen public awareness of the Constitution and the Civil Code. It has become a common practice among all ethnic groups to respect, study, observe and apply the law, and the rule of law permeates the whole of society and takes root among the people.