In conducting criminal proceedings, the people's courts, the people's procuratorates, and the public security organs must take objective facts proved by evidence as the basis and criminal law, criminal procedure law, and other law as the criterion. In criminal procedure, the law is equally applicable to all citizens, and no special privilege whatsoever is permissible before the law regardless of one's nationality, race, sex, occupation, personal background, religious belief, education degree, property, or society position. Citizens of various ethnic groups all have the right to conduct proceedings in their native spoken and written language. The people's courts, the people's procuratorates, and the public security organs shall provide interpretation for participants in proceedings who are not proficient in the spoken and written language commonly used in the locality. In areas inhabited by a concentrated minority ethnic group or by several ethnic groups, hearing shall be carried out in the spoken language commonly used in the locality, and written judgements, announcements and other documents shall be issued in the written language commonly used in the locality.
Defendants have the right to a defence.
Criminal suspects and defendants have the right to a defence for themselves against the criminal act charged, or appoint a lawyer or other to provide him with legal advice. A criminal suspect may, after being first interrogated by an investigating authority or from the day on which compulsory measures are adopted against him, retain a lawyer to provide him with legal advice. The appointed lawyer may meet with the detained suspect. The defender appears in court to defend for the defendant when the case is heard. The people's courts, the people's procuratorates, and the public security organs shall safeguard the procedural rights to which participants in proceedings are entitled according to law.