New legislation based on last month's amendment
of the 1982 Constitution should carefully balance government
power and individual rights, legal experts say. The clause in which
"states of emergency" replaced "martial law" will require
additional legislation.
"Emergency" usually refers to an unforeseen combination of
circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate
action to maintain public order and ensure the safety of people's
lives and property.
However, extraordinary measures in such situations usually
involve varying restrictions on citizens' rights and freedoms.
The Constitution says the Standing Committee of the National
People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislative body, has
the power to declare a state of emergency throughout the country or
in particular provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities that
fall directly under the auspices of the central government. Any
such action must be in accordance with the provisions of law.
After that decision is made, the President of the People's
Republic of China may proclaim the state of emergency.
"Legislation on the state of emergency is vital because survival
and security are the primary need for and top interests of a
country, society and individuals," said Yu An, a professor of
administrative law with the School of Public Policy and Management,
Tsinghua
University.
Yang Haikun, a law professor from Suzhou University, said the
legislation would serve as the last resort to safeguard national
interests and protect human rights during emergencies.
Liu Hainian, a professor of law with the Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences, said development should be taken into
consideration when writing such a law. He believes hearings should
be held before the country proclaims a state of emergency to avoid
unnecessary losses and inappropriate restrictions on individuals'
rights.
The Legislative Affairs Office under the State Council has
delegated the task of drafting the bill to a group of professors at
Tsinghua University. Yu is one of the leading scholars in this
group.
Yu and his colleagues have drafted the bill and started to
solicit public opinion prior to submitting it to the Legislative
Affairs Office of the State Council for further review this
month.
Yu said the draft sets upper limits both for state power and
basic citizens' rights, forcing the government to take rational and
restricted measures during emergencies.
A seminar to discuss improvements to the draft was held over the
weekend at Tsinghua University.
If approved by the State Council, the draft bill will go to the
Standing Committee of the 10th
NPC for a preliminary review in December, according to the
committee's legislative agenda this year.
(China Daily April 5, 2004)