Courts told to ignore illegal evidence

New guideline meant to ensure justice and protect human rights of accused

China's top court has told every court nationwide to strictly exclude evidence collected illegally, in an effort to reduce wrongful convictions and protect human rights.

"When we looked back at wrongful cases corrected over the past few years, we found the mistakes were attributable to our undeveloped legal awareness, as well as improper legal procedures while tackling the cases," said Dai Changlin, a member of the trial committee at the Supreme People's Court.