U.N. torture panel tells China to improve monitoring
21 Nov 2008 18:35:01 GMT Source: Reuters
By Laura MacInnis GENEVA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - United Nations torture experts on Friday told China to improve its monitoring of abuses in prisons and hospitals, and called for an inquiry into the use of force during a March crackdown on Tibet. In recommendations following its review of China earlier this month, the U.N. Committee Against Torture said Beijing also needed to fully investigate all deaths in state custody and provide more information about how it treats detainees. "The committee remains deeply concerned about the continued allegations, corroborated by numerous Chinese legal sources, of routine and widespread use of torture and ill-treatment of suspects in police custody, especially to extract confessions for information to be used in criminal proceedings," it said. The 10 independent experts said China's state secrets law "severely undermines the availability of information about torture, criminal justice and related issues" and should be reviewed so that statistics on unusual deaths in prison and other matters can be reviewed by the U.N. panel. The committee also called for more disclosure about the fate of Tibetans arrested during a clampdown on March protests there. "(China) should conduct a thorough and independent inquiry into the reported excessive use of force, including against peaceful demonstrators and notably monks," the report said. "(China) should conduct prompt, impartial and effective investigations into all allegations of torture and ill-treatment and should ensure that those responsible are prosecuted." The U.N. panel also raised concerns about reports of secret detention facilities or "black jails" to detain human rights petitioners, saying such centres would violate the U.N. Convention Against Torture which China ratified in 1988. "(China) should investigate, disclose the existence of any such facilities and the authority under which they have been established and the manner in which detainees are treated, and make reparations to the victims of enforced disappearances where appropriate," it said. During his country's review earlier this month, Chinese ambassador Li Baodong said China forbids torture and has introduced strict laws to punish those who intimidate, harass and injure those in state custody. "We have zero tolerance for torture," he told the panel. "We have made large-scale judicial reforms to strictly regulate the law enforcement conduct of our judicial personnel." The Committee Against Torture's report is published at: www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cat/cats41.htm (Editing by Giles Elgood)
Wrecked cars are seen outside a damaged building in Wudu town, Longnan city, Gansu province in this video grab from CCTV footage of November 20 released November 21, 2008. The governor ...
