Chongqing Set Up Environment Protection Trial Court in Three Gorges Reservoir Area

In December 6th, Environment Protection Trial Court of Wanzhou Court, Chongqing was set up in Wanzhou District. In the same day, Environment Protection Trial Court of Yubei District was also set up.

It was introduced by Higher People's Court of Chongqing that the courts in Chongqing received 3174 pieces of environmental cases from 2008 to 2010, including criminal cases, civil cases and administrative cases. The set-up of environment protection trial court can get help from the professional committee, persons and functions to improve the ability of judicial protection and to unify the judicial range in a larger area.

At the same time, Yangtze River area, Three Gorges Reservoir area and the area between the two rivers where Wanzhou District Court and Yubei District Court located are important environment protection areas. And the two courts are the basic level courts which received more environment protection cases.

According to reports, the range of cases which can be received in the two courts include criminal cases, civil cases, administrative cases and environmental welfare litigation; concretely involving the cases about throwing dangerous matters, catching aquatic products illegally, felling trees unlawfully, wanton cutting of forests, pollution responsibility dispute and the administrative litigation caused by pollution dispute.

Although there have set up some professional trial court in inland before, these two environment protection trial court of Chongqing also get some breakthrough in some areas.

It was introduced by Chongqing Higher People's Court that this is the first time to set up all-round, systematic and specific environmental cases trial system in provincial level with regulatory documents, clearly put forward judicial protection guiding theory.

Chongqing Higher People's Court clearly point out the experts jury system, experts attestation system, environment protection prohibit system and other complement systems.