Serik Nuhmar, head of the Yongfengqu Dispatched People’s Tribunal of the Primary People’s Court of Urumqi County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, shares his story at an idea and story-sharing conference on promoting the high-quality development of the human rights cause in Xinjiang in the Chinese modernization drive, held in Urumqi, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on December 20, 2023. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Xie Long)

My name is Serik Nuhmar. I have been working for 29 years and now I am the head of the Yongfengqu Dispatched People’s Tribunal of the Primary People’s Court of Urumqi County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. I would like to share with you a story that happened in our “Mediation Yurt.”

Yu, the plaintiff, and Haderbek, the defendant, had been close friends for several years. In 2022, Yu entrusted 150 sheep to Haderbek for care. They signed a contract. However, upon the expiration of the contract, Haderbek refused to return the sheep. After several attempts at communication, the two were unable to come to a consensus. Yu had no choice but resorted to legal action. To resolve the case without litigation, we invited the two to the “Mediation Yurt.”

Haderbek was surprised after arriving at the yurt. “Is this really a court? It looks just like our yurt.” “We have milk tea, too. Have a seat, please. Let’s enjoy some milk tea while we chat,” I replied.

For over an hour, I explained legal provisions, like the validity of contract, and gently persuaded them to cherish their long-standing friendship. In the end, they both made concessions and shook hands with each other.

After the mediation, Haderbek smiled and said to me, “Serik, the milk tea warmed my heart.”

Through this kind of mediation, we resolve more than 200 cases every year without litigation.

Serik Nuhmar (center), head of the Yongfengqu Dispatched People’s Tribunal of the Primary People’s Court of Urumqi County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, hears a private lending case in a circuit trial in front of a yurt on June 16, 2023. (File photo)

In recent years, Yongfengqu Dispatched People’s Tribunal has introduced new ways to hear cases. It moved the court on horseback or in a vehicle, delivering justice services to people’s doorsteps. At the same time, the tribunal has been leveraging information technology to enhance the efficiency of case handling.

In March 2021, our tribunal became the first primary-level court that adopted translation software in case hearing. With the software, mandarin can be translated into Uygur and Kazak and vice versa.

A retired judge was impressed by the software upon visiting a modern court. He said, “Previously, it would take a judge two to three days to translate a verdict. Today, it can be done in just eight seconds. It’s so fast.”

The use of the translation software has not only saved judicial resources, but also safeguarded the fundamental right of individuals from all ethnic groups to use their languages in legal proceedings. Justice is delivered to them at high speed and with warmth.

Times are changing, but the pursuit of fairness and justice for all in every judicial case has never changed and will never change.

(Compiled by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily Reporter Zhang Yanfang)

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