China made remarkable progress in human rights under Xi:report

China has made "remarkable progress" in the protection of human rights over the past five years under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, according to an official report released here today.
The official white paper titled "New Progress in the Legal Protection of Human Rights in China" said the country has opened a new era of human rights protection and has improved legislation to better protect the civil and political rights of its people.
According to the white paper, China has revised the criminal law, abolishing nine death penalty charges and raising the bar on executing convicts that have received death sentence with a two-year reprieve.

To implement the rule of law and promote humanitarianism, China has implemented the amnesty system stipulated in the Constitution, and granted amnesty for four types of criminals, it said.
China has made "remarkable progress" in the protection of human rights over the past five years since President Xi took over power, the report said, adding that during this time civil and political rights were better protected.
The paper expounded on the progress in human rights protection in six parts - improving the legal framework to ensure human rights, promoting law-based administration, enhancing judicial protection of human rights, consolidating social mechanisms, strengthening the Party leadership over legal protection of human rights and promoting the development of global human rights.

However, a report by international human rights organisation 'Human Rights' has said that since Xi assumed power in 2013, the Chinese government has arbitrarily detained and prosecuted hundreds of activists and human rights lawyers and defenders.

It has tightened control over nongovernmental organisations, activists, media and the internet through a slew of new laws that cast activism and peaceful criticism as state security threats.
Despite legislation to protect against custodial torture, the practice remains widespread, including among Communist Party members accused of corruption, it said.
A once-in-a-five-year Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China endorsed a second five year term for Xi, 64, in October this year.