Key changes to China's judicial system since 2012

Police officers prepare to enter a crime scene in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province, Feb 27, 2017. [Photo/VCG}

8. Exclusion of unlawful evidence

In June, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Justice jointly released a regulation on the exclusion of illegally obtained evidence in criminal cases.

According to the regulation, confessions, witness testimony and depositions of victims obtained by force will no longer be accepted as evidence.

Defenders of criminal suspects are allowed to ask that illegal evidence be ruled out during investigations.