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Home » Opinion » Press Notes
Petitioners fall prey to obstructionists
By Oriental Morning Post |
December 10, 2012, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
PETITIONERS fall prey to obstructionistsIT is reported that 10 people in Changge in Henan Province were sentenced to jail for illegally detaining petitioners who went to Beijing to lodge complaints against local government authorities in Henan Province.
But Beijing's Higher People's Court later dismissed the allegation as rumors, saying that no verdict had been reached yet.
That made headlines.
Many Internet users question why profit-driven entities - those specialized in preventing petitioners from taking their grievances to the higher authority by intercepting or imprisoning the victims - should be tolerated at the capital at all.
They are guilty of, among others, obstruction of the legal procedures, illegal detention, and infliction of intentional injuries.
Rather than being punished for their crimes, these professional interceptors have flourished in recent years, often evolving into mafia-type gangs.
As some offenders working for these "companies" finally have to pay for their crimes, a verdict against them is being eagerly anticipated, because the public wants to see whether the law supports the petitioners.
Still, some regional governments are considering whether to continue the practice as a tactic to maintain social stability.
While the people and the local governments may be expecting different verdicts, the judges can only reach a verdict, objectively, in light of relevant laws and regulations.
Ultimately, what matters is justice, which should not be compromised by considerations of local officials' eagerness to ensure "social stability."
But Beijing's Higher People's Court later dismissed the allegation as rumors, saying that no verdict had been reached yet.
That made headlines.
Many Internet users question why profit-driven entities - those specialized in preventing petitioners from taking their grievances to the higher authority by intercepting or imprisoning the victims - should be tolerated at the capital at all.
They are guilty of, among others, obstruction of the legal procedures, illegal detention, and infliction of intentional injuries.
Rather than being punished for their crimes, these professional interceptors have flourished in recent years, often evolving into mafia-type gangs.
As some offenders working for these "companies" finally have to pay for their crimes, a verdict against them is being eagerly anticipated, because the public wants to see whether the law supports the petitioners.
Still, some regional governments are considering whether to continue the practice as a tactic to maintain social stability.
While the people and the local governments may be expecting different verdicts, the judges can only reach a verdict, objectively, in light of relevant laws and regulations.
Ultimately, what matters is justice, which should not be compromised by considerations of local officials' eagerness to ensure "social stability."
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