Prosecutors identify 4,300 suspects who were illegally detained

National prosecuting departments have identified nearly 4,300 suspects who have been illegally detained for more than three years without being prosecuted or sentenced, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Monday.

"Such illegal detention has seriously harmed the defendants' rights and damaged the image and credibility of judicial authorities," said a senior official at the Supreme People's Procuratorate who declined to be named.

The maximum allowable detention time for the suspects is seven months, and prosecuting departments must prosecute suspects within six months.