Beijing court holds first public commutation hearing

Lu Jun, a former football referee who was sentenced to five and a half years in jail for accepting bribes, will stand trial again on Wednesday afternoon.

This time, the Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court will hear the case for Lu to get commutation for good behavior at Yanjiao Prison in Beijing.

The prison has applied to reduce Lu's sentence by one year.

According to the latest judicial interpretation, issued by China's top court in April, trials involving official misconduct, including corruption and bribery, and those of inmates who have made great achievements in prison must be open to the public.

The interpretation has been effective since June 1, aiming to make convicts' commutation and release on parole much stricter and more difficult.

It will be the first time for a Beijing court to hear a commutation case in such a public way.

Previously, prison staff members mostly handed in applications for commutation or release on parole to courts with accompanying documents.

Such closed hearings meant some inmates, especially convicted officials, often had their sentences reduced. Holding such trials publicly makes the court decisions open to scrutiny.