Monday, November 24, 2008

UN criticizes China over widespread torture allegations

The United Nations Committee Against Torture, meeting in Geneva, has expressed deep concern over allegations of widespread torture in China and called on the country to fully probe rights abuses.

The committee also expressed concerns about the fate of North Korean refugees who were turned back at the border despite the risk that they would be subjected to torture in their own country.

The committee also criticized China’s handling of its relations with the Tibetan Autonomous Region, persecution of Falun Gong and the Tiananmen Square protests and crackdown.

Earlier this month, the committee’s chief rapporteur Felice Gaer had accused the Chinese of not providing sufficient information. Gaer had said China had been unwilling to release data on individual cases by invoking its State Secrets Act to withhold information.

[AFP]

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