Amend legal procedures

DISPUTES AROSE AS SOON AS THE FULL TEXT of the proposed amendments to the Criminal Procedure Law was published to solicit public opinions.

In spite of the broad consensus that the new draft has plugged some obvious loopholes in the current law, and may thus offer better protection for the civil rights of criminal suspects, there are prevailing worries as to whether it will also open up bigger loopholes that may substantially undermine human rights.

While everyone, except those charged with law-enforcement perhaps, can applaud the new stipulations against torture and self-incrimination, there are concerns about the amendments' explicit endorsement of police concealment of information regarding suspects. The doubts are concentrated on clauses 30, 36 and 39, which relate to living under surveillance, police custody, and arrest.