Report of the Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Manfred Nowak MISSION TO CHINA (Excerpt)

III. Beijing Municipal Women’s Re-education Through Labour (RTL) Facility (Visited on 24 November 2005)

10. The Special Rapporteur observed that the general conditions of the facility seemed satisfactory. However, he is deeply concerned by the prolonged periods for which detainees are held in solitary confinement. During his visit, he inspected the ‘Intensive Training’ section which houses 10 small solitary confinement cells and was informed by the prison authorities that the maximum duration in solitary confinement was seven days.

However, on consulting the registry the Special Rapporteur noted that of the six people held in solitary confinement between 1 January 2005 and 24 November 2005, three had been held for 60 days and one for 27 days.

Detainees also stated that Falun Gong practitioners who had not renounced their beliefs after six months in detention were placed in the Intensive Training section until they were ‘reformed’. Falun Gong practitioners formerly detained at this facility mentioned that they would refer to this section as the “Intensive Torture Section”.

The full report is available at: http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G06/117/50/PDF/G0611750.pdf?OpenElement