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December14,2012

OppositiontoLaborCampsWidensin

ChinaByANDREWJACOBSBEIJINGItishardtosayexactlywhichsubversivesentimentsdrewthepolicetoRen

Jianyu,whopostedthemonhismicrobloglastyear,althoughdownwithdictatorshipand

longlivedemocracystandout.

Intheend,Mr.Ren,25,acollegegraduatefromChongqing,thesouthwesternmetropolis,

wassentwithouttrialtoaworkcampbasedontheT-shirtthatinvestigatorsfoundinhis

closet:Freedomordeath,itsaid.

LastyearMr.RenwasamongtensofthousandsofChinesewhoweredumpedintothe

nationsvastre-educationthroughlaborsystem,aStalinist-inspiredconstellationof

penalcolonieswherepickpockets,petitioners,undergroundChristianchurchmembersand

otherperceivedsocialirritantstoilindismalconditionsforuptofouryears,allwithout

trial.Withasmanyas190,000inmatesatanyonetime,itisoneoftheworldslargest

systemsofforcedlabor.

Butnowthelaborsystem,knownbyitsshorthand,laojiao,isfacingagroundswellof

oppositionfrombothinsideandoutsidetheCommunistParty.Criticssaytheonce-in-a-

decadeleadershiptransitionlastmonth,whichincludedthedemotionofthechiefofthe

nationsvastinternalsecurityapparatus,hascreatedapotentialopeningforjudicialand

legalreform.

Itshightimewedemolishthisunconstitutionalandabusivesystemthatviolatesbasic

humanrights,fuelsinstabilityandsmearsthegovernmentsimage,saidHuXingdou,a

professorattheBeijingInstituteofTechnologywhofrequentlyrailsagainstthesystem

thatMaoZedongcreatedinthe1950stotakedownsuspectedclassenemiesand

counterrevolutionaries.

ThecallsforchangegobeyondlongstandingadvocatesofpoliticalreformlikeProfessor

Hu.Chinasnationalbarassociationiscirculatinganonlinepetitionthathasbeensigned

bythousands.Legalexpertshaveconvenedseminarstodenouncethesystem.Andalmost

everyday,itseems,thestate-runnewsmedia,withthetopleadershipstacitsupport,

reportonhaplesscitizensensnaredbythearbitraryjusticethatthelocalpoliceimposewiththewaveofahand.

Mr.RenscasewouldprobablyhavegoneunnoticedifnotforChinasincreasingly

MOREINA

Chang China Chief ReadMor

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emboldenedhumanrightsdefenders,whoshowcasedhisplightontheInternet.Evidently

proddedbythetorrentofnewscoverage,Chongqingofficialscutshorthistwo-year

sentenceandfreedhim.

Itwasadepressing,dreadfulexperience,Mr.Rensaidinatelephoneinterviewthis

month,describinglongdaysspentinthecampswire-coilingworkshop.

Otherexamplesabound.AmigrantworkerfromInnerMongoliawassentawayfor

quarrelingwithanofficialatarestaurant.AmotherfromHunanProvincewas givenan18-

monthsentenceaftershepubliclyprotestedthatthemenwhohadrapedandforcedher11-

year-olddaughterintoprostitutionhadbeentreatedtooleniently.

Thismonthan80-year-oldKoreanWarveteranwithParkinsonsdiseasesobbedon

nationaltelevisionashedescribedspending18monthsinalaborcampaspunishmentfor

filinglocalcorruptioncomplaints.

PeoplesDaily,theCommunistPartysmouthpiece,tookaimatthesystemlastmonth,

sayingithadbecomeatoolofretaliationforlocalofficials.InOctobertheheadofa

governmentjudicialreformcommitteenotedabroadconsensusinfavorofaddressingthe

systemsworstabuses.

Andinawidelycirculatedrecentessay,thevicepresidentoftheSupremePeoplesCourt,

JiangBixin,arguedthatthegovernmentmustactwithinthelawifitistosurvive.Only

withconstraintsonpublicpowercantherightsandfreedomsofcitizensbesecurelyrealized,hewrote.

Chinasincomingpresident,XiJinping,hasnotyetweighedinontheissue,butreform

advocatesareencouragedbyaspeechhegavethismonthtalkingupthewidelyignored

protectionsaffordedbyChinasConstitution,whichincludefreedomfromunlawful

detentionandtherighttoanopentrial.Wemustestablishmechanismstorestrainand

supervisepower,Mr.Xisaid.

Untilnow,Chinaspowerfulsecurityestablishmenthasstavedoffanyerosionofits

authority,warningofcalamityifthepolicelosetheirabilitytodetainperceived

troublemakerswithouttheinterferenceofjudgesordefenselawyers.

TheMinistryofPublicSecurityhasotherreasonstopreservethestatusquo.Thesystem,

whichemploystensofthousandsofpeople,isagoldmineforlocalauthorities,whoearn

moneyfromthegoodsproducedbydetainees.Officialsalsocovetthebribesofferedto

reducesentences,criticssay,andthepaymentsfamiliesmaketoensurealovedoneis

properlyfedwhileincustody.

ZhouYongkang,whoretiredlastmonthasthechiefofdomesticsecurity,wasknownto

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scareseniorleaderswiththespecterofsocialchaosandthepartyslossofpowerif

theextralegalpenalsystemwereabolished.

ZhouYongkangknewhowtoputonagoodshow,saidHeWeifang,aPekingUniversity

lawprofessorwhohaswagedadecade-longcampaignagainstthesecuritysystem.

ProfessorHeandotherlegalexpertssaidtheywereencouragedafterpartyleaders

downgradedMr.Zhouslaw-and-orderresponsibilities,movingthemtothe25-seat

PolitburofromthemoreinfluentialStandingCommittee.

ThechangeunderscorestheleadershipsincreasingwarinessofChinasinternalsecurity

machine,whichgrewbyleapsandboundsinthedecadeunderPresidentHuJintaos

campaignforsocialstability.Theannual$110billionsecuritybudgetnowexceeds

Chinasmilitaryspending.

Theresasensethatthingshavegottenoutofcontrol,thatwhentheresanintraparty

struggle,eventhemostpowerfulofficialcanbedisappeared,saidSharonHom,executive

directorofHumanRightsinChina.Nooneisimmunefromalawlessstate.

GuoXuehong,aformerjudgefromJilinProvinceinthenortheast,hasfirsthandexperience

withextralegaljustice.Mr.Guo,47,wasgivenaone-yearsentenceafterprotestinghis

dismissalaresult,hesaid,ofrefusingtobackdownfromhisrulingagainstapolitically

connectedcompany.Hisrulingharmedthelocaleconomy,partyofficialsdetermined.

Inaninterview,Mr.Guocomplainedthatthoseensnaredhavenoabilitytomounta

defenseandlittlechanceofappealingtheirsentences,giventhattheyarereviewedbythe

sameagencythatmetesoutsummaryconvictions.

Thesystemisjustatoolforofficialstogetridofustroublemakers,Mr.Guosaid.

Mr.Guowasluckyenoughandperhapswellconnectedenoughtobeallowedtoserve

partofhistimeathomebecauseofpoorhealth.Thosewhohavespenttimeinoneofthe

nations350laborcampsdescribeinediblefood,overcrowdedcellsandbruteviolence.

Thevastmajorityofinmatesarepettycriminals,butpoliticaloffendersandunderground

membersofthebannedspiritualgroupFalunGongareoftensingledoutfortheworst

abuse,especiallyiftheyprotesttheconditionsorrefusetoconfess.

LiuJie,60,aformerbusinessexecutivefromHeilongjiangProvince,servedatwo-year

sentencefordisturbingsocialorder,punishmentforreleasingapublicletterdemanding

politicalandlegalreform.Shedescribedhowroughneckinmatesviolentlyimposedtheguardswillinreturnforreducedsentences.Oneparticularthrashingcostherseveralfront

teethandlefthertemporarilyblindinoneeye.

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Whenshecomplainedaboutdizzinessfromthepaintusedtomakepaperlanterns,Ms.Liu

said,shewashogtiedtoachairforaweek,adreadedpunishmentknownasthetiger

bench.Deprivedoffoodandwaterforseveraldays,shesaid,sherepeatedlylost

consciousness.Whentheyunshackledmefromthechair,mylegshadturnedblackwith

bruises.

Ina2009report,ChineseHumanRightsDefendersdocumentedwhatitcalledahotbedofinjustice,withinmatessometimesworking20-hourdaystoproducechopsticks,

firecrackers,cardboardboxesorhandbags.

Tomeetthequota,wehadtoworksohardourfingersbecamecoarseandswollen,with

littleblistersontopofourbigblisters,onedetaineetoldinvestigators.Inmatesarepaid

nothingoratmosttheequivalentofafewdollarsamonth.

Ms.Liusaid,Itsabigsweatshopbuiltonanenormouschainofprofits.

Rightsadvocatessayagenuineoverhaulofthelaojiaosystemwouldrequire,amongother

things,allowingvictimsaccesstolawyersandtherighttoappeal.Butmanyofthemfear

thatpartyleadersmayinsteadoptforonlymodestmodifications.Recenttrialballoons

includelimitingsentencestoafewmonths,providinginmateswithweekendfurloughsor

requiringthepolicetoissuewrittenverdicts.

Suchchanges,saidProfessorHeofPekingUniversity,wouldaccomplishlittle.Technically

speaking,laojiaoiseasytofix,hesaid.Butthedangeristhatallwellgetisadeceptive

namechange.

PatrickZuocontributedresearch.