A senior judge on Thursday urged his colleagues to respect lawyers and allow them to perform their duties according to law to prevent wrongful verdicts.

The remarks of Shen Deyong, deputy president of the Supreme People’s Court, was a rare response from China’s top court about wrongful verdicts, a subject about which he has emphasized the importance of lawyers’ work.

Experts said the remarks indicate there will be more chances for lawyers, especially criminal lawyers whose rights are often undermined, to carry out their duties in a more-friendly environment.

During a visit to Guangdong province, Shen urged judges at criminal tribunals in the coastal province to “place great importance on lawyers”, since their work can help prevent wrongful verdicts.

Shen regards the work of lawyers as an integral part of the legal profession, and judges should respect and protect their rights to perform the duties.

“We should have full confidence that most lawyers are professional, rational, objective, fair and unbiased,” he said.

Shen said the ruling of a criminal case is related to the fame, property, freedom and even life of a person, as well as social security and stability, so judges have to strictly follow legal procedures and make use of high technology to prevent wrongful verdicts.

The role of criminal lawyers in defending suspects has often been considered weakened, especially after the controversial case in which Li Zhang, a criminal lawyer in Chongqing, was sentenced to one and a half years in prison for fabricating evidence.

The Supreme People’s Procuratorate is investigating whether the Chongqing police abused their power in Li’s case.