Recent proposals to reform China's police-run detention centers are unlikely to do much to address a nationwide "human rights disaster" for police suspects in detention, human rights lawyers told RFA. The country's Ministry of Public Security issued a call for consultation this week on a replacement for its Detention Center Law, saying the legislation lags behind in term of human rights protection, and that the ministry wishes to update it to "ensure the legitimate rights and interests of detainees."
Prominent human rights lawyer Wen Donghai said human rights abuses are rife within the police detention system. "This form of detention has taken the form of a widespread disaster for human rights," Wen said. "Prosecution authorities, rather than solving the problem, often try to cover it up instead. The police are both investigators and jailors, which means that they will often resort to methods such as forcing a confession through torture," he said.
