UN slams practice of torture in China

The UN slammed ongoing rights abuses in China’s courts and prisons, despite legislation outlawing torture in the country.

Beijing - The United Nations slammed ongoing rights abuses in China’s courts and prisons, despite legislation outlawing torture in the country.

The UN Committee against Torture said it “remains seriously concerned over consistent reports indicating that the practice of torture and ill-treatment is still deeply entrenched in the criminal justice system,” in a report on Wednesday in Geneva.

The report said that the abuses were compounded by the institutional structures of the justice system, which failed to ensure transparency and accountability, and which “overly relies on confessions as the basis for convictions.”

“The Committee is deeply concerned about the unprecedented detention and interrogation of, reportedly, more than 200 lawyers and activists since 9 July 2015,” it said.

“Of those, 25 remain reportedly under residential surveillance at a designated location and four are allegedly unaccounted for.”

International rights group welcomed the UN report on Thursday, also Human Rights Day.

The observations “send a clear message that the international community sees through China’s denial of documented facts,” said Sharon Hom, head of the group Human Rights in China.

DPA