The Supreme People's Procuratorate has issued a guideline calling for deeper and more standardized procuratorial transparency to ensure that procuratorial power operates in the open and to further enhance judicial credibility.

The top procuratorate said improving the standardization, institutionalization and digitalization of procuratorial transparency is of great importance to ensuring that procuratorial power is always exercised under public scrutiny and to further strengthening public confidence in the judiciary.

Under the guideline, procuratorates should proactively disclose 10 categories of information to the public, including basic information about procuratorates; laws and regulations related to procuratorial case handling; case information that should be made public in accordance with the law; procuratorates' work reports; litigation procedures; and guidelines on applying for legal supervision.

They may also proactively release six other categories of information, including information on major cases, key procuratorial business data and procuratorial legal documents.

In addition, upon application by parties and other litigation participants, procuratorates should provide access to procedural case information inquiry services when relevant conditions are met.

The guideline also makes clear that certain information must not be disclosed, including information involving State secrets, work secrets, commercial secrets, personal privacy, and cases involving juvenile offenders or underage victims.

To improve disclosure channels and methods, the guideline requires strict implementation of the system for informing litigants of their rights and obligations, as well as easier access to self-service inquiries on the handling of petitions. It also says procuratorates should safeguard lawyers' right to review case files and further improve channels for lawyers to obtain case information.

In handling major and sensitive cases, procuratorates should strictly follow the law, actively accept public oversight, and release accurate information through authoritative channels to effectively respond to concerns, clear up misunderstandings and address public doubts in a timely manner, the guideline said.

On institutional safeguards, the guideline stresses strict compliance with existing rules on case information disclosure by people's procuratorates, stronger legal reasoning in procuratorial legal documents, and greater disclosure of documents that attract broad public attention or have exemplary value.

In addition, the guideline urges procuratorates to improve mechanisms for collecting, processing and applying public opinion, actively listen to public comments and evaluations, regularly conduct assessments of procuratorial credibility, and promptly handle suggestions gathered from the public.