A spokesman for the United Nations has criticized the Chinese government for its use of torture against detainees. Manfred Nowak, the U.N.’s special investigator on torture, was allowed to visit secret detention centers in China for the first time in approximately 10 years. Nowak said that the use of torture by the Beijing government remained widespread and accused the Chinese government of attempting to obstruct his investigations.
In a statement, the U.N. acknowledged that torture was down in urban areas although it remained a common practice. The statement also said that the government, “attempted at various times throughout the visit to obstruct or restrict his attempts at fact-finding.”
Nowak’s report concluded that, “Victims and family members were intimidated by security personnel during the visit, placed under surveillance, instructed not to meet with him or physically prevented from meeting with him.”
Nowak’s trip to China began on November 21. It was the first time in a decade that a U.N. observer was permitted to visit detention centers inside China. The U.N. group made visits to detention centers in Beijing, in occupied Tibet and to the mostly Muslim region of Xinjiang. In addition to their attempts to meet with detainees and their families, the U.N. delegation met with prosecutors and local government justice officials.
The Chinese government outlawed torture in 1996 although according to most sources, the practice has continued.
