Excerpted from Associated Press:
China's constitution and laws provide for freedom of expression and the right to criticize the government, but those provisions are routinely violated, often by authorities invoking rules governing state secrets, Human Rights in China said in a report Monday.
The network of regulations "undermines both domestic law and (China's) international legal obligations," the New York-based group said.
"The internal contradictions and tensions in domestic law provisions, and the failure to consistently implement international norms, also undermine the development of a functioning and coherent rule of law," said the report, titled "State Secrets: China’s Legal Labyrinth."
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For more information on this issue:
- HRIC Report:
State Secrets: China's Legal Labyrinth - HRIC Press Release:
HRIC Report Details State Secrets System - China Rights Forum, No.2 2007:
Legal Reform and Accountability - HRIC Trends Bulletin:
Setback for the Rule of Law – Lawyers Under Attack in China - China Rights Forum, No.2 2005:
Law and Justice - China Rights Forum, No.2 2003:
Rule of Law