Return-Path: Received: from host.oil.ca ([206.186.236.1]) by mailin05.sul.t-online.de with esmtp id 12pc7p-14t0ZUc; Wed, 10 May 2000 21:26:29 +0200 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by host.oil.ca (8.9.3/8.9.3) id NAA15059 for amnesty-l.list; Wed, 10 May 2000 13:32:30 -0400 X-Authentication-Warning: host.oil.ca: majordom set sender to owner-amnesty-l@oil.ca using -f Received: from amnesty.oil.ca (IDENT:amnesty@amnesty.oil.ca [206.186.236.10]) by host.oil.ca (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id NAA15055 for ; Wed, 10 May 2000 13:32:28 -0400 From: amnesty@amnesty.oil.ca Received: (from amnesty@localhost) by amnesty.oil.ca (8.9.3/8.8.7) id LAA09559 for amnesty-L@oil.ca; Wed, 10 May 2000 11:58:23 -0400 Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 11:58:23 -0400 Message-Id: <200005101558.LAA09559@amnesty.oil.ca> To: amnesty-L@oil.ca Subject: CHINA: UN reports on torture in China Sender: owner-amnesty-l@oil.ca Precedence: bulk Reply-To: owner-amnesty-l@host.oil.ca * News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International * Amnesty International Public document AI Index ASA 17/024/2000 News Service Nr. 85 9 May 2000 NEWS FLASH UN reports on torture in China "The UN Committee Against Torture's conclusions and recommendations made in Geneva today, demonstrate to the Chinese government that the world is watching carefully, and that official whitewash cannot disguise the enormity of the problem of torture in China today," Amnesty International said. "Now it is time for action - for concrete and speedy measures to implement the recommendations," Many of the recommendations reflect current debate among legal reformers in China and have been made previously by the Committee. Amnesty International welcomes the Committee's call for the Chinese government to: - Outlaw as crimes all acts of torture as defined in the Convention - End all forms of administrative detention (detention for up to 3 years without charge or trial for behaviour which is not criminal but is considered "somewhere between crime and error"). - Ensure prompt, thorough, effective and impartial investigation of all allegations of torture Amnesty International also welcomes the call for additional information and statistics on torture and it's punishment, without which evalutation of policies in practice is impossible. An important omission is any reference to widespread incommunicado or secret detention. Amnesty International has monitored numerous cases of torture leading to death which occured during the first interrogation or within 24 hours of detention. These victims, as well as any who cannot afford lawyers, are not addressed by the Committee's recommendations. On this issue, the Committee praises the Chinese government for "instituting timely access to lawyers for detainees" and recommends only that the government abolish the need for a suspect to apply for permission to hire a lawyer. Currently access to a lawyer is only allowed after the first interrogation, the point at which detainees are most vulnerable to torture. Another important issue the Committee did not address is continuing attempts by the Chinese authorities to supress information on torture by imprisoning those who report it, be they victims, relatives or human rights defenders. Several examples were brought to the attention of the Committee, including the imprisonment of the daughter of Chen Zixiu, a Falun Gong practitioner who reportedly died in Februrary after being tortured in detention. The organization cannot imagine that the Committee was satisfied with the response of the Chinese government to their questions on this case. Such human rights abuses threaten to undermine the effectiveness of international oversight mechanisms such as the Committee itself and should have been addressed. "Despite these major gaps, the Committee's recommendations, if fully implemented would be a significant contribution toward the elimination of systemic torture in China. It's now up to the Chinese authorities to translate these fine words into concrete realities for the Chinese people and demonstrate their commitment to the Convention." ENDS.../ Amnesty International, International Secretariat, 1 Easton Street, WC1X 8DJ, London, United Kingdom **************************************************************** You may repost this message onto other sources provided the main text is not altered in any way and both the header crediting Amnesty International and this footer remain intact. Only the list subscription message may be removed. **************************************************************** To subscribe to amnesty-L, send a message to with "subscribe amnesty-L" in the message body. To unsubscribe, send a message to with "unsubscribe amnesty-L" in the message body. If you have problem signing off, contact . handles only messages concerning list administration. Past and current Amnesty news services can be found at . Visit for information about Amnesty International and for other AI publications. Contact amnestyis@amnesty.org if you need to get in touch with the International Secretariat of Amnesty International.