[JURIST] The People’s High Court for the eastern Chinese province of Anhui on Monday publicly apologized to 19 people for their wrongful convictions. The court’s apology appeared [AP report] in a local paper, stating that the court wished to restore the reputation of the individuals who were wrongfully imprisoned for illegal fundraising or fraud in 2012. The court overturned the convictions and original indictments. Previous convictions have been overturned, but the court’s apology was unprecedented.

The Chinese government has faced criticism for its handling of perceived threats to the country. In July China’s top legislature, the NPC Standing Committee [official website] adopted a controversial [JURIST report] new National Security Law that increases cyber security powers and provides the possibility of establishing efficient crisis management systems. In the past year the government has executed eight people for terrorism and separatist related crimes, as well as sentencing [JURIST report] 12 to death for attacks on police and government offices. In January Human Rights Watch criticized [JURIST report] China’s proposed new counterterrorism legislation as a “recipe for abuses.” The Chinese government maintains that their draft law conforms to UN resolutions and that it allows for human rights to be “respected and guaranteed.”