China redressed a number of major criminal cases involving unjust, false, or wrongful charges in 2014, including absolving an innocent man of a murder charge, a white paper on China's human rights said on Monday.

The document, titled "Progress in China's Human Rights in 2014" and released by the State Council Information Office, said that in 2014 China's judicial bodies at all levels enhanced justice and openness, adopted multiple judicial reform measures and ensured impartiality, thereby safeguarding human rights in the field of justice.

The white paper mentioned that the Higher People's Court of Fujian Province heard the poisoning case involving Nian Bin, and acquitted the suspect on the ground of "lacking sufficient evidence."

Nian, 38, was arrested in 2006 after two of his neighbors died from poisoning after dinner. Police considered him a suspect in the case because he was not on good terms with the family of the victims.

In February 2008, Nian was sentenced to death by the intermediate court in Fuzhou, and his appeal to the provincial high court was unsuccessful.

He was sentenced to death four times - three times by the intermediate court and once by the high people's court - until he was released in August of last year after the Fujian provincial high court declared him innocent, citing insufficient evidence.

Based on the principles of "statutory crime and penalty," "no punishment in doubtful cases" and "evidentiary adjudication," the courts acquitted 518 defendants in cases of public prosecution and 260 in cases of private prosecution, thereby maintaining the freedom of innocent people, the white paper said.