{"id":30102,"date":"2012-10-09T21:48:00","date_gmt":"2012-10-09T21:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/127.0.0.1:10081\/?p=30102 "},"modified":"2012-10-09T21:48:00","modified_gmt":"2012-10-09T21:48:00","slug":"30102-revision-v1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/minzhuzhongguo.org\/?p=30102","title":{"rendered":"China hints at reforming labour camp system"},"content":{"rendered":"
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9 October 2012 Last updated at 12:51 ET<\/div>
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China is working to revise its system of labour camps, where people can be jailed for up to four years without trial, a senior judicial official says.<\/div>
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Jiang Wei, head of judicial system reform, said the camps had an important role in keeping social order but there was a wide consensus for reform.<\/div>
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China has 350 such camps with more than 150,000 inmates, the latest government figures released in 2008 say.<\/div>
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The network has long been criticised for human rights abuses.<\/div>
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Many inmates are held for alleged offences such as prostitution and drug possession.<\/div>
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The system started in the 1950s based on the Soviet Gulag – millions were jailed in labour camps for political crimes during Chairman Mao’s time.<\/div>
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Mr Jiang’s comments follow growing public criticism of the camps.<\/div>
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He told a news conference the camps played “an important role in maintaining our country’s social order”.<\/div>
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‘[But] there is a widespread agreement in the society that reforming the re-education-through-labour system is needed,” he said.<\/div>
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“Relative authorities have done plenty of research and heard advice from experts and legislators. They are now working on a plan for the reform.”<\/div>
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China’s labour camps are not as prominent as they once were, the BBC’s Martin Patience in Beijing says.<\/div>
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But critics see the “re-education-through-labour” system as an easy way for officials to silence dissidents, as well as those from groups like Falun Gong, the banned spiritual movement, our correspondent adds.<\/div>
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There was a public outcry this year after a mother in Hunan province was sent to a labour camp. She had been campaigning for tougher penalties for men convicted of abducting, raping and prostituting her 11-year-old daughter.<\/div>
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She was released after a week following a public campaign.<\/div>
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