A senior Chinese judge Friday submitted a package of measures on jury system reform to the country's top legislature for approval.

 

In his statement to the standing committee of the National People's Congress, Shen Deyong, deputy president of the Supreme People's Court, said existing laws and regulations pertaining to the jury system were too vague, and there are no specific regulations on the requirements and selection procedures for jurors.

 

Under the current Chinese jury system, a juror, also named people's juror, serves as a lay judge as he or she joins professional judges in court hearings.

 

Chinese jurors are mostly appointed by Chinese courts or recommended by governments departments, but the law on court stipulates that they must be elected.

 

According to the draft law, the jurors must be appointed by the standing committee of legislature with a five-year term. The jurors enjoy the same rights and have the same responsibilities as judges in hearing and ruling first trial cases, except that they can not hold the position of chief justice.

 

The draft law also states an eligible juror must have at least a junior college education, and a juror can participate in less than 10 cases each year in order to give opportunities to other jurors in the court work.

 

A juror who has no fixed source of income shall be paid subsidies by local courts according to the number of days spent performing his or her duty and in line with the average salary of local court staff, the draft decision stipulates.

 

Shen explained that the selection of jurors has yet to be regulated as few of them are elected by the general public as required by law. About 41.5 percent of jurors were appointed by courts and 23.7 percent recommended by government departments.

 

Initiated about seven decades ago at the revolutionary bases running by the Chinese communists, the system has been regarded as one of the fine traditions of the country's judicial system, said Shen.

 

Participation of jurors selected from the general public in court trials is an important way for people to take part in national governance, and will help build a clean and fair judicial system, said the deputy president.

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 3, 2004)