Oath not enough to prevent perjury

Before that start of a trial, the court of Shuyang in Jiangsu province requires attorneys and defendants to say the oath: "It will be against my conscience, and my soul will be restless, if I make false statements." Comments:

In a judicial explanation, the Supreme People's Court said that courts can ask the parties involved in a lawsuit to sign a letter claiming they won't tell a lie. Obviously, the Shuyang court made an oral version and extended it to the lawyers as well. This is illegal because lawyers are not parties in lawsuits. The court's job is to rule according to the law, instead of creatively drafting revisions to the law.

thepaper.cn, Sept 12