Chinese courts determined to uproot corruption at all levels

Some 341,000 people involved in 311,000 cases were given criminal punishments for corruption, bribery and malpractice over the past decade, statistics provided by the Supreme People's Court, the country's top court, said on Friday.

While harshly punishing those who accepted bribes, Chinese courts have also strictly penalized bribe-givers, especially those who offered bribes many times or offered large amounts of bribes, according to the top court.

It said that the moves have shown China's strong determination to uproot corruption, meaning its anti-graft efforts have always been at a high pressure.

To protect human rights, Chinese courts implemented the principle that "no punishment should be given in cases where there is doubt" by correcting miscarriages of justice, in the past 10 years.

They were also ordered to remove evidence that was obtained through illegal means, such as torture, and improved judicial transparency in case handling, the top court said, adding that defendants were not required to stand trials in prison uniforms.

According to the statistics, a total of 9,553 defendants were announced not guilty over the past decade as evidence in their cases was not strong enough to prove their convictions.

In addition, Chinese courts have concluded some 1.98 million of environmental cases since 2012, aiming to beautify the environment by rule of law, and solved more than 37.81 million of disputes involving livelihood, including those on education, healthcare, employment, housing, marriage and social insurance, to respond public concerns, the top court added.