U.N. Special Rapporteur Condemns Widespread Torture in China

On December 2nd, the United Nations Human Rights Commission special investigator on torture concluded his 2-week investigation in China on torture claims and held a press briefing in Beijing. Many major media outlets around the world reported on the envoy's findings.

Austrian law professor Manfred Nowak, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture

For more than ten years, the U.N. has been requesting China to allow investigators to look into claims of torture. "China had repeatedly agreed to allow the visits and then postponed them." AP reported. However, the mounting pressure from the international community and vast number of torture reports from China eventually make this visit a reality.

At the press conference, the rapporteur condemned that torture is very widespread in China and that China should follow the international human rights standard and the U.N. Convention against Torture. China has the world's largest prison system and often uses torture to extract confessions. Mr. Nowak also protested the interference from the Chinese Communist regime in his investigation. The regime not only sent agents to trail, monitor and harass their normal investigation, but also intimidated victims and family members that the U.N. team tried to interview.

Mr. Nowak specifically mentioned the systematic persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by the regime. Arbitrarily detained Falun Gong practitioners were subjected to the tiger bench, water dungeon, electric shocks, beatings, sleep deprivation, etc.

Human rights groups have repeatedly called on China to take steps to fundamentally reform, and to reduce and prevent torture, rescind the system of re-education through labour and stop the torture of innocent people in mental hospitals.

On the same day, the Falun Gong Human Rights Working Group (FGHRWG) submitted an appeal letter to human rights organisations under the UN Human Rights Commission regarding a shocking rape case that took place on November 25th, 2005 in Hebei Province. This is the most detailed rape case received by the FGHRWG, and also the tip of the iceberg of the ruthless and inhumane persecution of countless Falun Gong practitioners imposed upon by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the past six years. The CCP police's brutality and degenerated acts are the manifestation of the malevolent CCP's nature. It has raped not only the two Falun Gong practitioners, but all Chinese people. When the people of the world stand up to condemn the CCP's atrocities, that will be the moment when the CCP completely collapses.

The FGHRWG sent an appeal letter to the following organisations and a detailed report of the case to Mr. Nowak who is conducting the torture investigation in China.

* Special Rapporteur on the Question of Torture and Detention
* Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, its Causes and Consequences
* Special Rapporteur on the Right of Everyone to the Enjoyment of the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health
* Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
* Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief

Meanwhile the FGHRWG also appealed to international women's rights protection groups and government institutes.

Case Brief:

On the evening of November 24th, 2005, police from Dongchengfang Town Police Station, Zhuozhou City, Hebei Province, under the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) policy of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners, took into custody two female Falun Gong practitioners in Xitong Village, Dongchengfang Town, Ms. Liu Jizhi (51 years old) and Ms. Han Yuzhi (42 years old), from their respective homes. At Dongchengfang Town Police Station, a policeman named He Xuejian raped Ms. Liu Jizhi and Ms. Han Yuzhi during the so-called "official investigation." The aforementioned rape severely injured the victims and their family members.