Chinese courts boost transparency by livestreaming 2m hearings

[Photo/VCG]

China's courts have livestreamed more than 2 million hearings online over the past two years as part of efforts to further improve judicial transparency and ensure public access to court procedures.

The streams were carried by tingshen.court.gov.cn, a website established by the Supreme People's Court in September 2016.

The site, which helps the public better understand trials, and effectively observe and monitor legal procedures, has been visited more than 13 billion times, the top court said in a statement Tuesday.

"Putting case hearings online not only helps more people understand legal procedures but also allows the public to play a bigger role in monitoring the work of judges," said Li Liang, director of the top court's Trial Management Office.

People are more likely to watch case hearings relating to illegal fundraising, corruption, intellectual property and contracts, as "such disputes are hot legal issues among the public", Li said.

Moreover, the Supreme People's Court issued a guideline on judicial transparency, in which it ordered all Chinese courts to make more of their work procedures public. This includes information on judges, judicial reforms and legal services.

It also urged them to make good use of the internet to interact with the public besides just releasing information online.