NCJ Number
102311
Date Published
1984
Length
130 pages
Annotation
This 1984 report by Amnesty International presents evidence of human rights violations in China and the main text of a memorandum sent to China's government documenting these violations and recommending remedies.
Abstract
Under existing legislation, China has arrested and imprisoned persons who exercised internationally recognized fundamental rights without using or advocating violence ('prisoners of conscience'). Persons arrested for political reasons have been given prolonged detention without trial, and inadequate trial procedures along with few legal safeguards have flawed the trials of political defendants. There is also evidence of prisoner abuse, usually in detention centers administered by public security bureaus. Amnesty International is also concerned about China's extensive use of the death penalty under a 'campaign against crime' begun in August 1983. The government should release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. The criminal law should be revised to prevent the imprisonment of people for the peaceful exercise of fundamental rights. Safeguards should be established to prevent prolonged detention without trial, and procedures should be instituted to protect prisoners from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. The government is urged to take steps toward the abolition of the death penalty. Profiles of particular prisoners of conscience are provided.