Chinese citizens can now bring up their grievances without fear of going to jail.

The Communist Party leadership issued an order Wednesday instructing government officials to hear people's grievances instead of thwarting them.

It has been a common practice among local officials, who want to save face, to block people from seeking redress by detaining them in so-called "black jails."

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The new circular, the latest in the government's drive toward people-centered reform, stressed that "illegal or indirect confinement of petitioners is strictly prohibited,'' according to state media.

The circular instructed officials to hear people's petitions and decide whether to bring them to court, or simply explain to people why their petitions are being rejected.

Petitions, referred to as "letters and calls", is China's system of addressing complaints raised by the public.

The petitions usually consist of land disputes, education-related problems, health care, environment and social security issues.

Often, petitions hardly reach the national level because they are blocked at the local level, where officials want to avoid embarrassment emanating from their constituents' complaints.

The new circular emphasized the need to protect petitioners' rights and urged local government units to set up a more efficient and lawful system of handling disputes.

The Bureau of Letters and Calls should hand over petitions that involve civil and commercial disputes, as well as criminal and administrative lawsuits, to the proper law enforcement agencies, the circular added.