China released a two-year human rights action plan on Monday in an effort to reinforce some of the civil liberties that have been neglected in recent times.
Among the policies targeted in the document is the right to a fair trial, the right to question government policies, and a call for measures to discourage torture.
The plan has received praise from many world organizations that see this as a step in the right direction, but maintain that China still has a long road ahead.
“It’s a step forward, I think. It’s also good there are some concrete benchmarks with 2010 as a deadline,” said Roseann Rife of Amnesty International, before also adding, “There are very serious abuses omitted from the plan.”