论我国死因查明制度的完善

Improvement of China's System of Ascertaining the Cause of Death

死因查明制度与刑事诉讼紧密相关,调查结论决定着死亡事件能否启动侦查立案进入刑事诉讼程序。我国尚未建立统一死因查明制度,仅在相关法律文件中对被监管人员死因查明进行粗略规定。从法律规范及司法实践层面看,我国死因查明制度存在查明主体中立性不足、调查程序封闭、调查结论异议、缺乏救济途径等问题。具体制度设计可考虑建立检察死因查明委员会作为死因查明主体、明确死因查明程序启动条件,尊重死者近亲属充分参与查明程序,保障其充分知情、允许其参与选择鉴定机关与认定程序并保障其死因结论异议获得救济。

The system of ascertaining the cause of death is closely related to criminal procedure as the conclusion determines whether a death case shall be investigated,filed,or entered a criminal procedure.So far,China has not yet established a unified system of ascertaining the cause of death.Only rough provisions related to ascertaining death causes of those in custody are available in legal documents.From perspectives of legal norms and judicial practice,defects are obvious in China's relevant provisions,such as the insufficient neutrality of investigation subjects,closed procedures in investigation,objections to investigation conclusions,and insufficient remedies for disputes.When designing specific systems,we should establish a Procuratorate Committee for Ascertaining the Cause of Death as the subject,make explicit conditions for starting the ascertaining process,respect the full participation of close relatives of the deceased during the ascertaining process,ensure their full knowledge,allow them to participate in selecting the appraisal authority and ascertaining procedures,and ensure their objections to conclusions get remedied.