Impeachment proceedings are the earliest litigation method in human history. The so-called impeachment litigation system means that individuals enjoy the absolute power to accuse crimes. The national judicial organs do not actively pursue crimes, but handle criminal cases as neutral arbiters.
2. Medieval inquisitorial litigation
If the accuser is called a judge, he needs God as a lawyer. The counterpart of inquisitorial litigation is "accusatory litigation", also known as "inquisitorial litigation". It originated from the Roman Empire and flourished in the European continental monarchy period in the late Middle Ages and the feudal autocracy period in ancient China. It was also a form of the European Inquisition. Its main features are (1) The judge integrates investigation, prosecution and trial functions. Regardless of whether there is a victim or other charges, crimes are proactively pursued ex officio. (2) Judicial organs are responsible for investigating facts, and investigations and trials are conducted in secret. (3) The victim is only the informant. The defendant is only the subject of litigation and does not have any litigation rights. He can only accept interrogation and prosecution; (4) The defendant's confession is the best evidence. Torture to extract confessions was legalized and institutionalized. The most typical interrogation procedure is found in the German Carolina Code of 1532.