ACTION OF CHINESE COURTS WITH THE ANTI-TORTURE LEGAL OBLIGATION UNDER THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE: A SOCIO-LEGAL NARRATIVE CRITIQUE ANALYSIS OF APPLICATION OF LAW AND LEGAL REASONING

Abstract

Background: The most of critique is based mainly on the previous literature, namely, that Chinese dynamic institutional structures’ silence may have exacerbated the miscarriage of justice and obtain illegal evidence in criminal proceedings in China. However, the fact that torture to extract confessions and maltreatment of prisoner’s cases involve judicial decision-making by Chinese hierarchical courts has been disregarded. Objective: Taking China's outward telling and internal judicial reforms as starting positions, the article focuses on address the knowledge gap that torture to extract confessions and maltreatment of prisoner’s cases involving the application of law and legal reasoning regarding how Chinese domestic courts' actions is related to the interpretation of torture and domestic compliance with international conventions. The causes of action include torture to extract confessions, maltreatment of prisoners in criminal scenarios, and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment involving detention in police custody (garde a vue) and outside custodial settings. The article also examines how Chinese hierarchical courts have implemented their judicial practice in accordance with international obligations to prohibit and prevent torture under United Nations Convention against Torture. Methods: Process tracing is a qualitative research method that examines causal processes connecting results to potential causes form socio-legal perspectives, focusing on varying time stages. It is essential for within-case analysis based on qualitative data. Implication: This article highlights the intricate relationship between the definition of torture in law in context in UNCAT and treaty compliance by China domestic court, addressing flaws in previous court decisions and responding to those points of view to gain a more in-depth understanding of the dynamics underlying cases of confessions extracted under torture, ill-treatment in prisons and outside custodial settings (garde a vue) in China's criminal judicial system.