An independent court is key to maintaining justice and restoring
public trust, says an editorial in Nanfang Metropolis
News. An excerpt follows:
Xiao Yang, president of the Supreme People's Court, urged all
the nation's judges to follow the law with wisdom and prudence.
Xiao reminded the judges that they should give proper verdicts
according to the law without being influenced by public opinion or
media coverage.
In recent years, more media report lawsuits before cases are
concluded. Some journalists use "murderer" or "grafter" to describe
the suspects while the trail is still under way.
A typical case can be found in Henan Province where a drunken
police officer fled the scene of a hit-and-run accident where he
killed a pedestrian. The media staged such a campaign of
condemnation that the judge sentenced the officer to capital
punishment to calm public anger.
Such a verdict will probably be overruled by the court of
appeals under a mature legal system, for it is unjust to all
concerned parties when the court is unduly influenced.
It is a common practice in many countries to bar the news media
from any coverage that may create any pressure on the judge or
jury.
The public and the media seem pessimistic about the independence
and fairness of the court. They believe that "supervision" from the
media and the public would help guarantee an impartial verdict.
Such belief places the court, the public and the media in an
awkward situation.
Only after the judiciary undergoes a thorough reform and becomes
truly independent from the administration can it gain public trust
for fair judgment and its own authoritativeness.
(China Daily June 19, 2007)