China adopts legal aid law

BEIJING -- A law on legal aid was adopted by China's top legislature on Friday amid the country's efforts to regulate and promote legal assistance to better safeguard social fairness and justice.

The law was adopted after the third reading at the 30th standing committee session of the 13th National People's Congress, which opened on Tuesday.

The law specifies that law firms, grassroots legal service agencies, lawyers and primary-level legal service workers are all obligated to provide legal aid services in accordance with laws.

Under the circumstances when close relatives of heroic martyrs safeguard the personal rights and interests of heroic martyrs, or when people claim civil rights and interests relevant to their righteous and courageous acts, the applications for legal aid will not be restricted by their financial difficulties, according to the law.

Law firms, lawyers and legal aid volunteers are encouraged to offer legal aid services in areas with insufficient legal resources, according to the law.

The law will take effect on Jan 1, 2022.