China’s parliament has halted plans to legalize the detention of suspects in secret areas. The most-recent proposal of the law was offered Thursday at the National People’s Congress. It removed a measure that would let police secretly disappear criminal suspects considered a threat to national security without informing their families. Human rights activists praised the proposed change saying it was the first step in improving human rights in the nation. But they warned it probably will not completely end secret detentions. Forced disappearances are commonly used to silence opponents of China’s government.