Lawsuits against govt for information disclosure surge

BEIJING -- China has seen a surge in the number of lawsuits against government agencies for their failure to disclose information, according to a report released Tuesday.

Administrative cases about government information disclosure in Beijing increased to 551 in 2012 from 10 in 2008 when a regulation came into force, said the report, adding similar growth occurred in other Chinese cities.

The report was carried out by the center for public participation studies at Peking University and was based on research in cities including Beijing, Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong Province and Cangzhou in northern China's Hebei Province.

The surge in the number of lawsuits indicated the public's increased awareness of judicial organs' role in guarding equity and justice, said Wang Xixin, assistant dean of Peking University Law School.

According to the report, lawsuits against government organs by the public mainly focused on livelihood issues including land expropriation, unbalanced education resources and environmental protection.

The report showed that despite the increase of lawsuits, chances remain slim for individuals to win. Among 336 administrative lawsuits in Beijing in 2012, complainants in 59 cases won, accounting for only 17.6 percent.