A total of 31,527 prisoners were granted amnesty across China in the past five years, a work report of the Supreme People's Court said on Friday.

Chinese courts have strengthened efforts to protect human rights in judicial practices, according to the report delivered by Chief Justice Zhou Qiang at a plenary meeting of the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress.

Death penalty decisions were strictly reviewed to make sure that death sentences only apply to an extremely small number of criminals for extremely severe offenses, it said.

The report noted that the Supreme People's Court has worked with the Ministry of Justice to enhance the legal aid system.

Cases involving minors have declined for five consecutive years, according to the report.

Judicial subsidies totaling 2.67 billion yuan ($420 million) have been granted to victims who failed to get compensation, it said.

Xinhua