Parading criminal suspects appeared first in Imperial China. The practice was revived during the Cultural Revolution. Although it became rare afterwards, it never disappeared entirely. Today, the Chinese government wants police to stop the practice out of “respect and [to] safeguard the human rights of people who break the law”.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Ministry of Public Security has decided that police will no longer humiliate offenders by exposing them to public scorn, the Global Times reported. The decision to stop the public parading of criminal suspects came amid an intense public outcry that followed the publication online of photos showing barefoot, scantily clad handcuffed women, arrested, allegedly, for being sex workers in Dongguan, southern Guangdong Province

A similar incident had occurred in Chenjiawan, Hongshan District, Wuhan City. Here, local police posted the names and ages of alleged sex workers on walls.

When asked about their action, police said that the goal was not to humiliate the suspects, but to warn the general public of the consequences of such activity.

In view of the changes, local public security departments must now "improve their approaches to law and regulation enforcement" and "correct rude methods," a Ministry notice said. Therefore, police forces are required to "behave reasonably and in a civilised manner, and fully respect and safeguard the human rights of people who break the law whilst ensuring openness in law enforcement".

Parading criminals goes back to Imperial China when imperial officials (mandarins) deliberately ensured that lawbreakers would lose face before the population in order that no one would feel any sympathy towards them.

Mao’s Red Guards also used the practice extensively during the Cultural Revolution.

Today, parading criminals has become a rare occurrence but it has not altogether disappeared.

• china
• crime
• punishment
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• ministry
• parading
• imperial
• cultural
• revolution