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RED CORNER

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  This one could be a challenge to objectivity - if for no other reason, because the people involved in creating it did not particularly intend objectivity. The lead actor, Richard Gere, apparently has some rather strong opinions about the ethics of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) government.

  The story is fiction, but it focuses on PRC criminal law and procedure. A woman was murdered. Gere's character is arrested and charged with the crime, though of course he is not guilty. There is some indication of political intrigue behind the charges, but those are never really demonstrated. The court procedures and appearances are a series of frustrations and Gere eventually escapes, only to voluntarily surrender his sanctuary.

  The writing assignment is to discuss the PRC criminal law procedures and system in context. The political-philosophical basis of the PRC government is significantly different than the bases of most other countries in the world. (That has been a fact for most of China's 4,000+ years of history – the current Chinese government may be based on a different philosophy, but it is not as different from historical Chinese governments as one might suppose.) The criminal justice system of any country reflects the political and social systems of that country. Given that context, the question is whether the criminal justice system depicted in Red Corner fits.

  In addition, what feature(s) of the PRC criminal justice system are generally positive - that might be beneficially applied in other legal systems, such as the U.S.'s?

  You are strongly encouraged to discuss any and all part(s) of the movies that you think significant in terms of the basic question. As suggestions only, your discussion might, for example, comment on:

1. What is the role of the attorney for a defendant in the PRC criminal justice system? How is it different from that role in the U.S. system? Can those differences be explained by the differences in fundamental political-social theory?

2. Does the defendant's (Gere's) expectations make it more or less likely that the actual facts will be made known to, and considered by, the judges?

3. Assume that the U.S. (and U.S. business interests) want the PRC government to provide more liberal "human rights" (as that term is defined in the U.S. and Europe.) Are attitudes such as the defendant and the U.S. Embassy personnel likely (a) to encourage the PRC government to consider changing its system, or (b) to make it defensive about the propriety of its present system?

In all of that, the result should be an objective, logical analysis.