China urges sensible policing of disabled people

BEIJING - China has urged its police forces to show restraint when investigating disabled people.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) and the China Disabled Persons' Federation jointly issued a guideline on humanitarian principles on Thursday, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

"When arrests and indictment are optional, they should not proceed against disabled people," said SPP spokesperson Xiao Wei at a press conference.

"Commutation, probation and serving one's term outside prison should also be applied sensibly to disabled people in accordance with the law," said the guideline, noting that such leniency should not be extended to persistent offenders among the country's 85 million disabled people.

Courts should hire people skilled in sign language and psychological counseling and offer these services to disabled people where appropriate during legal proceedings, the guideline added.

The SPP also vowed to give heavier punishments to people infringing on disabled people's rights, particularly those who force mentally disabled people to work, who abduct disabled women and children and who organize disabled people to go begging.