Chinese prosecutors step up support for rural vitalization

BEIJING -- Chinese prosecutors have stepped up their litigation work to facilitate agricultural development and protect the benefits of rural people over the years, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said on Dec 5.

Procuratorial organs at all levels have given full play to their duties of criminal, civil, administrative and public litigation to meet the demands of rural people for rule of law, justice, security and others, said senior prosecutor Wan Chun from the SPP at a press conference.

Over the past two years, a total of 1,463 people in 145 cases were indicted on gang-related crime charges amid China's efforts to eradicate poverty in rural areas and over 37,000 were charged for encroaching on the benefits of rural migrant workers, according to Wan.

Some 208 people were also prosecuted for making or selling counterfeit or subpar agricultural products including pesticides, chemical fertilizer and seeds, and over 6,500 working in primary-level organizations in rural areas were indicted on duty-related crime charges.

Efforts to crack down on these crimes have helped safeguard security and social stability in rural areas, and enabled rural people to share the benefits of the country's development, Wan said.

Chinese procuratorates have also attached great importance to public interest litigations for enhancing the protection of the rural environment, Wan noted.

Procuratorates across the country handled 50,263 administrative and 2,870 civil public interest litigation cases related to the environment in 2019.

As a result, 29,800 mu (about 2,000 hectares) of illegally exploited or occupied farmland were recovered or reclaimed and over 13,500 mu of forest intended to boost public welfare were recovered.