A judge with the Second Intermediate People's Court of Hainan Province distributes manuals on environmental protection laws in south China's Hainan Province, March 9, 2022. (Xinhua)
HAIKOU, March 12 (Xinhua) -- With a few desks and chairs, a temporary court was set up in the village of Qingsong tucked away in the lush green mountains in south China's Hainan Province.
About 100 people were present in the court, including forest patrollers, forest public security officers, and local villagers, in a special trial held this week for a poaching case in the tropical rain forest preservation area.
Authorities in Hainan are using circuit courts to raise public awareness to protect the environment, particularly in remote and mountainous areas.
A judge with the Second Intermediate People's Court of Hainan Province introduces environmental protection laws in south China's Hainan Province, March 9, 2022. (Xinhua)
A circuit court means that legal staff with a people's court go into rural or remote areas to try suspects. In reality, such courts have been labeled as "grassland courts," "horseback courts," "courts on the sea" and "field courts," based on the locations they take place.
In the trial held Wednesday by the Second Intermediate People's Court of Hainan Province, prosecutors accused several local villagers of using guns to hunt wild animals in the core protected areas of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park. The suspects were believed to have killed four valuable birds.
The suspects confessed to the crime, and the court said it would announce a verdict at a later date.
After the trial, the court staff also gave out pamphlets to the villagers to promote knowledge of wild animal protection. The pamphlets explained the law and answered questions regarding illegal logging, poaching, and purchasing of wildlife.
A judge with the Second Intermediate People's Court of Hainan Province communicates with villagers after a trial in south China's Hainan Province, March 9, 2022. (Xinhua)
"Through the circuit court trial and on-the-spot promotion of law, we hope to bring the court to the deep mountains and raise villagers' environmental awareness," said Zheng Lanqing, president of the Second Intermediate People's Court of Hainan Province. "It is a good way to enhance people's legal awareness."
Yang Maoming, also with the court, said that they have launched the environment-related circuit court program in three major national nature reserve areas in Hainan.
"The circuit court program allows the judges to go to the spot where the case happened or where the defendant is located," Yang said. "It also allows the villagers to understand what is prohibited by law by directly attending the court in person."
The circuit courts have been proved to be effective in raising public legal awareness and in lowering crime rates, Yang added.
