Judges to receive better protection

China's top court issued a guideline on Tuesday aimed at severely punishing those who disturb judicial work or take revenge on legal officers, after a grassroots judge was killed by one of his litigants at the end of last month.

The guideline stipulates that those found guilty of interfering in judicial affairs, including threatening, insulting or harming judges, will face severe punishment, to ensure justice is served and to protect the safety of judges.

On Jan 26, the day before the Spring Festival, Fu Mingsheng, a retired judge from a court in Luchuan county, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was stabbed to death in his home by the defendant in a divorce case Fu handled in 1994.