The Supreme Law reaffirms the protection of the ecological environment with the strictest system and the strictest rule of law.

On June 4, the Supreme People's Court issued 10 typical cases of people's courts on environmental resources in 2020.

In the trial of an ancient tomb excavation case, the Supreme Law made it clear that within the statutory penalty range, criminal acts should be severely punished and probation should be used with caution.

  According to the case, from November 2013 to June 2016, 11 people including Zhang Xiaojian formed a gang excavating ancient tombs. They have repeatedly excavated 14 ancient tombs in the north of Taosi Village, Taosi Township, Xiangfen County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province. The unearthed cultural relics include bronze tripods, bronze gui, bronze bells, bronze scorpions, bronze scorpions, bronze fish fillets, bronze square plates, etc. The resale of the above-mentioned cultural relics has made a total of more than 8.34 million yuan in profits.

It has been identified that the above-mentioned stolen tombs are from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and they are ancient tombs with historical, artistic, and scientific value.

  From November 2013 to June 2016, 11 people including Zhang Xiaojian formed a gang of robbery and excavation of ancient tombs. They have repeatedly excavated 14 ancient tombs in the north of Taosi Village, Taosi Township, Xiangfen County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province. The unearthed cultural relics include Bronze tripods, bronze gui, bronze bells, bronze scorpions, bronze scorpions, bronze fish fillets, bronze square plates, etc., after reselling the above cultural relics, a total profit of over 8.34 million yuan was made.

It has been identified that the above-mentioned stolen tombs are from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and they are ancient tombs with historical, artistic, and scientific value.

  The Linfen Intermediate Court of Shanxi Province sentenced the defendant Zhang Xiaojian and others to imprisonment ranging from fifteen years to one year and six months for the crime of stealing ancient tombs and fined between 150,000 and 10,000 yuan.

The Shanxi Provincial Higher People's Court upheld the original verdict in the second instance.

  "This case is a criminal case of robbery of ancient tombs at the Taosi site in the Yellow River Basin." The Supreme Court stated in explaining the typical significance of the case that the Taosi site is located in the south of Taosi Village, Xiangfen County, Shanxi Province. It is a pottery temple type of Longshan culture in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. The main site is one of the sources of Chinese civilization.

The case involved in the ancient tombs of Taosi North in Xiangfen County was identified as a national key cultural relics protection unit, which has great historical, artistic and scientific value.

The People’s Court, in light of the objective harm caused by the case involving theft and excavation, imposed severe penalties in accordance with the law within the statutory penalty range, which embodies the firm determination of severe punishment and severe punishment to promote the protection of the Yellow River cultural heritage system, and continues to protect, inherit, and promote the Yellow River culture. Historical context and strengthening cultural self-confidence are of great significance.

  “In recent years, the scope of cases, protection objects, and litigation process of environmental resource trials have also shown the characteristics of multiple elements, diverse types, and complex procedures.” Li Mingyi, the party affairs commissioner of the Supreme Court of the Supreme Court, said bluntly, the annual typical case released this time, The protection objects include air, water, soil, minerals, ancient tombs, historical sites and other environmental resource elements. The types of litigation include the three traditional lawsuits of criminal, civil, and administrative, as well as environmental civil public interest litigation, criminal incidental civil public interest litigation, and ecological environmental damage Compensation litigation and other public interest litigation, and some environmental civil public interest litigation are conducted on the basis of the existing criminal judgment documents of another case, which reflects the convergence and coordination of various litigation types in evidence admissibility, fact determination and responsibility assumption. The development of specialization, specialization and systemization of environmental justice is gradually becoming standardized and mature.

  The Paper, senior reporter Lin Ping