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World Tibet Network News Tuesday, March 12, 1996

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7. Amnesty Cites Massive Rights Violations

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By RUTH YOUNGBLOOD

BEIJING, March 12 (UPI) -- Human rights violations stemming from
repressive laws and overzealous abuse of power have reached such a massive
scale that "no one is safe" in China, a human rights group said Tuesday.

Despite the enormous economic changes accompanying a dizzying
modernization drive, the London-based Amnesty International said dissent an=
d
any activity viewed as a threat to the political order are routinely quashe=
d.

"There is no sign of fundamental changes in the official human rights
policy or in aspects of the legal system which foster gross and systematic
human rights violations," Amnesty said in its 118-page report, "No one Is
Safe."=20

The extensive account was released ahead of the annual meeting this mont=
h
of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. Officials from the United
States, European Union and Japan have said they will back a measure censuri=
ng
China, which failed by one vote last year.

Amnesty listed political dissidents, human rights defenders, labor right=
s
activists, Tibetans, Muslim ethnic groups, religious organizations, couples
violating the single-child mandate, and those speaking out for their rights
as "targets of repression."

Anyone crossing the authorities is at risk of torture, it said.

"Torture is routinely practiced in many parts of China, despite the
government's declared opposition to its use," Amnesty alleged.

"People who were not suspected of any crime have been tortured because
they became involved in disputes with police and other officials, or becaus=
e
they attempted to defend their rights," the report maintained.

The victims come from all walks of life, including children and the
elderly, Amnesty said, noting those most vulnerable are the less educated o=
r
less privileged, such as peasants, the unemployed and vagrants.

It cited as an example Yan Zhengxue, a 50-year-old painter and deputy of
a local People's Congress in east China's Zhejiang province. Yan was detain=
ed
following an argument with a Beijing bus driver and, although he was not
suspected of a crime, was taken to the Haidian district police station.

"The tall thin one boxed my ears five or six times, then hit me with his
electric truncheon, forcing me to the floor," Yan was quoted as saying abou=
t
his treatment from police.

"Then they put handcuffs on me... After several blows to my head and fac=
e
I saw stars and fell to the floor. They pulled me to my feet by my hair and
continued the beating.

"By now, I was nauseous and wanting to vomit... At last I collapsed on t=
he
floor and could not struggle," Yan said. "They went on kicking my stomach a=
nd
groin."

Yan was pushed out of the station almost unconscious, Amnesty said, and =
a
passerby took him to a hospital. Although Yan filed a suit against his
attackers, police framed him on a misdemeanor charge and he was sent to a
labor camp.

The most common forms of torture include severe beatings, whippings, the
use of electric batons that give powerful shocks, handcuffs or leg- irons
causing intense pain, and suspension by the arms, Amnesty said.

Others include incarceration in tiny or dark cells without heat,
ventilation or sanitation; handcuffing for prolonged periods; exposure to
intense cold or heat; deprivation of food or sleep and being made to sit or
stand without moving.

Amnesty also mentioned cases in which prisoners and suspects were tied a=
nd
hung up, had boiling water poured over them, were hit with bottles or burne=
d
with cigarettes.

"In many instances, torture and ill-treatment have resulted in death,"
Amnesty claimed.

Liang Rihua was arrested on suspicion of stealing chickens, Amnesty said=
,
and tortured to death by police determined to force a confession.

Officers from the Tang Peng station in southern Guangdong province's
Lianjiang County "handcuffed Liang's hands behind his back, tied an electri=
c
wire to the handcuffs and suspended him by the wire from a window frame wit=
h
his feet barely touching the ground," the report said. He died within a few
hours.

Noting the government is accountable under Chinese law to curb torture a=
nd
has an international obligation under the Convention Against Torture to
prevent it, Amnesty charged, "Its failure to do so indicates that torture i=
s
in effect tolerated in the exercise of state power."

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=3D
end WTN 96/03/12 21:00 GMT

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Articles in this Issue:

1. Commentary in New York Times: Indicting China's Communism
2. March 10 Rally in D.C. joined by Eastern Turkestanians and Taiwanese; Four demonstrators engage in civil disobedience
3. 37th Tibetan National Uprising Day Demonstration (TYC)
4. 10th March Anniversary in New Zealand
5. Berkeley City Raises the Tibetan Flag on March 10th
6. Berkeley Waves a Flag for Tibetan Freedom -- Only U.S. City to do so
7. Amnesty Cites Massive Rights Violations

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