UN torture investigator to visit China

China has agreed to allow a fact-finding mission by a top United Nations official who investigates allegations of torture.

Manfred Nowak, the UN Human Rights Commission’s special investigator on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, will visit China from November 21 to December 2 to meet government officials and get a first-hand look at Chinese detention centres.

"There are all kinds of allegations ranging from Falun Gong people to dissidents about the treatment in re-education through labour camps," Nowak said.

"But these are only allegations and I want to verify or falsify them as much as possible."

Nowak said he was pleased China had for the first time “finally accepted a visit, after years of negotiations” and said Beijing had not stipulated any conditions for his trip.

“I am very happy that the government actually fully accepted my terms of reference, which means that I’m able when I’m there to visit any place of detention and to visit any detainee in private,” Nowak said.

“That makes, of course, a big difference.”

Nowak said he also would examine “in general, the way people are treated in prisons after they are convicted and in particular, those sentenced to death”.

Nowak will include his findings in a report to be submitted at next year’s meeting of the commission, the United Nations’ top rights watchdog. Nowak, a Vienna law professor, is one of several experts appointed by the 53-nation body.

China outlawed torture in 1996, but activists and lawyers say it is widely practised in the country.

China’s parliament recently enacted new rules limiting police interrogations to 12 hours, in a new effort to limit abuses after a series of highly publicised complaints.

The change came amid an unusual discussion by China’s state media of the widespread use of torture and coercion by police who are under pressure to crack cases with little professional training, after a false murder conviction was overturned in April.

She Xianglin, who was released after 11 years in prison, said he was tortured into confessing.

China has drawn international criticism for widespread police torture and the government’s heavy reliance on the death penalty.

It executes more people than any other country in the world.

Beijing has never allowed a UN torture expert to visit the country, but it has in the past granted such permission to experts on religious tolerance and arbitrary detention.

In June, Nowak and three other investigators decided to launch an inquiry into allegations of torture at the US prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and other US facilities holding terrorist suspects.

He also made headlines for telling reporters he was investigating “serious” allegations that some undeclared holding areas for terrorist suspects could include US ships cruising international waters.