Top court helps judges apply new Civil Code

China’s top court issued seven new judicial interpretations on Wednesday, including ones on property, marriage and family, labor disputes and inheritance, to ensure implementation of the country’s first Civil Code.

The judicial interpretations and the code will come into effect from Friday. The code was adopted at the third session of the 13th National People’s Congress, the nation’s top legislature, on May 28.

The seven interpretations are the first batch of legal documents issued to help judges apply the code accurately and solve urgent problems or disputes in people’s lives effectively, the Supreme People’s Court said in a statement, adding that more interpretations are on the way.

One of the new interpretations is about provisions in the code related to marriage and family. It identifies frequent or constant domestic violence as abuse, meaning victims will have the right to demand civil compensation from perpetrators.

Saying family stability is the foundation of social development and prosperity, He Xiaorong, vice-president of the top court, said, “Such an interpretation shows our judicial determination to say ‘no’ to domestic violence and also make efforts to improve harmony among families to better enforce the code.”

News from: Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China.