Key facts
- Chinese lawmakers are proposing to restrict residential surveillance at a designated location (RSDL) under the Criminal Procedure Law.
- RSDL was introduced in 1996 and expanded in 2012, the report says.
- The measure was originally intended to lower the rate of detention and arrest, according to the report.
- RSDL has become the harshest form of detention used in state security cases, the report says.
Chinese lawmakers are proposing to restrict residential surveillance at a designated location (RSDL), a form of detention and police surveillance, as part of changes to the country's Criminal Procedure Law, according to a report published on November 7, 2026.
RSDL was introduced in 1996 and expanded in 2012. The report says it was originally intended as a mild restriction of personal freedoms to lower the rate of detention and arrest, but has become the harshest form of detention used in state security cases.
The report does not specify the exact provisions of the proposed changes or the timing of any legislative action. The proposal is among other changes to the Criminal Procedure Law.