Justice Ministry pledges lawyers' safety

The Ministry of Justice pledged to increase its efforts to safeguard the nation's lawyers after an attorney in Hunan province was killed, allegedly by one of his clients, last month.

Jin Zhong, a lawyer in his 40s from Hengyang, was stabbed to death in his office at Nanfang Law Firm. The suspect, a client surnamed Xiong, had asked for legal services in a civil compensation case.

On Monday, Minister of Justice Fu Zhenhua said he attached great importance to the case and instructed officials from the ministry and the All China Lawyers Association to visit Hunan to comfort the victim's family and deal with the crime.