Juveniles should be held criminally liable in line with the law if they commit severe crimes, such as intentional homicide or intentional injury that lead to deaths, said Ying Yong, the procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate.
He made the remarks when visiting Guyuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, during an inspection on procuratorial work in the area from Wednesday to Thursday.
While ordering prosecutors to fight against people harming children with "zero-tolerance", he also demanded them to attach high importance to preventing juvenile crimes, clarifying that minors with serious offenses, causing others' deaths, need to be held criminally liable in line with the law.
Under the Chinese Criminal Law, offenders aged 12 to 14 will face criminal punishment for intentional killing, or intentional injury that leads to death or severely disables others. The decision to prosecute them must be approved by the SPP.
Ying also called for greater efforts to promote the construction of schools that specialize in rehabilitating juvenile offenders, with endeavor from all walks of life to help the minors correct mistakes and curb juvenile delinquency.
In addition, he said that procuratorial work at grassroots level is the frontline to serve high-quality economic and social development, calling on prosecutors to provide more judicial convenience for residents and improve work efficiency.
