China offers legal aid to appealing criminal defendants in trial program

BEIJING -- China has made progress in a trial program that asks criminal defendants to consult lawyers while appealing their cases, according to the Supreme People's Court (SPC).

Initiated by the fourth circuit court of the SPC in early 2018, the trial program is run in north China's Shanxi Province, one of the four provinces that fall under the circuit court's jurisdiction, said the SPC.

Under the program, a total of 50 lawyers selected by the provincial lawyers association of Shanxi offer legal aid to appealing criminal defendants. So far, they have received more than 1,300 visits and offered 64 pieces of advice for the circuit court to establish cases, the SPC said.

"The lawyers can both help spot and correct wrongful convictions and explain legal terms to the defendants," said Li Jingran, a presiding judge of the circuit court.

Since its founding in late 2016, the circuit court has accepted over 60,000 visits, 24.3 percent of which are about criminal appeals. Under the trial program, the court gives priority to cases that lawyers advise to establish.

As for the remaining cases, the lawyers help defendants understand the legal grounds on which their verdicts were made. "It is easier for us to communicate with the visiting defendants," said Zhang Tianhong, one of the 50 lawyers.

According to Li, such communication proved to be effective. "It helps the defendants better understand their situations and get back to normal life."