Director Zhang defended the annals as a fair and just appraisal and evaluation of selected figures, and hoped that it will function as a reference of historical facts to educate later generations. He said he and his compiling team were serious about the work and would never make random opinions and judgments about selected people.

Zhang's supporters praised him for his scientific approach and said that perhaps the families of criminals should also suffer as a consequence of the crimes committed. They say that the concerned families may have already indirectly benefited from illegal earnings of the criminals. Additionally, legal experts claimed that the move is not a violation of any law.

Criminals are still human

Ma Qiao (Procuratorial Daily): The move to include criminals in local annals may warn others, but it is against the spirit of the modern legal system that advocates humanity. It will disgrace and shame criminals rather than offering them a chance to be rehabilitated.

Among them, some have been executed, while many more are in jail or have returned to normal lives after being released. If they are recorded in history, it will obviously damage their self-esteem and hinder their reintegration into society. Social discrimination can easily cause ill feeling toward society and even breed further crimes and violations.

If freed, these "prisoners" will be guaranteed the same civil rights as you and I, ordinary citizens, regardless of whatever they did in the past. It is unfair for them to be permanently engraved in the annals for eternity. It will essentially deprive them of basic rights on privacy protection. How can we continuously add more pressure to their rehabilitation by humiliating them in this way?

Wang Junrong (Southland Morning Post): The rules for the annals in question are that it should display the value and essence of the Chinese civilization to present readers a comprehensive and objective historical record of social progress. The inclusion of criminals has nothing to do with this.

Punishment for criminals is based on laws, not additional burden of historical shame. The stigma on the families of criminals is already enough.

Punishment aims more at rehabilitation through education so that criminals become aware of their wrongdoings. The records are likely to discourage them and lead to extreme behavior. How will they face their friends and relatives when returning home? It would be a tragedy if they abandon themselves and seek revenge on society.