Importance of fair trials

An unfair trial is worse than several crimes rolled into one, warns an article in the Beijing Times. Following is an excerpt:

The closed-door trial of a child-rape scandal in Xishui, Guizhou province, started on April 8 at a local court. Strict legal measures should have been taken to protect the rights of both the alleged rape victims and defendants, but there were clear loopholes in the trial.

First, the seven alleged victims of the rape scandal are all underage and we should protect their privacy in the trial according to law. That is why the local court adopted a closed-door trial. But the closed-door trial should only allow related members and persons involved in the case to be present, banning reporters and unrelated members of the public from attending. Obviously, the allowance of four journalists to attend the trial by the local court violated the legal stipulations and endangered the privacy of the victims.