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Why fewer criminal appeal cases are getting heard in China
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According to experts, ambiguity in the law, along with personnel reforms in the judiciary, have contributed to the drop in appeals hearings.
PHOTO: AFP
Shan Yuxiao and Kelly Wang
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BEIJING - For the judges who were in charge of the appeal of Jiang Wang, a 43-year-old antique dealer convicted of fraud in October, the case was worth a 1,000-kilometre trip to the appellant’s hometown to “gather evidence.” What it was not worth, however, was a courtroom hearing.
In May, Yantai Intermediate People’s Court in East China’s Shandong province upheld Jiang’s conviction and 12 years, 6 month prison sentence. The Jiang case represents a broader trend in China — a shrinking share of criminal conviction appeals is receiving hearings by the courts.
