Rights group demands China stop torturing jailed activist
Beijing - An international human rights group on Friday urged China to stop torturing Liu Jie, an activist who is serving 18 months in a labour camp for organizing a petition signed by more than 12,000 people seeking political reforms.
The group, Chinese Human Rights Defenders, said in a statement that Liu has been subjected to torture since August 15 when she was beaten by a guard in a labour camp in northern China's Heilongjiang province for confronting him about the mistreatment of a fellow detainee.
During the beating, Liu pushed the guard in an act of self-defence, according to the rights group.
The camp accused Liu of attacking its staff and, as punishment, forced her to sit on a "tiger bench."
The punishment forces the victim to sit upright on a long bench, with her hands tied behind her back. Her thighs are fastened with a rope to the bench while her feet are raised off the floor by bricks placed under her feet.
This puts extreme strain on the knees and is a very painful form of torture, especially for an extended period of time, CHRD said.
The rights group said that in May, the Harbin Drug Rehabilitation Centre, where she is currently held, also forced Liu to sit on a "tiger bench" for seven consecutive days after she protested against the harsh working conditions in a labour camp, from where she was transferred to the centre with a group of 29 detainees who also participated in the protest.
Liu is in poor health and suffers from illnesses, including heart disease and a severe eye illness, according to the group. She could go blind if she does not receive proper treatment soon, it said.
Authorities, however, have not responded to her and her family's repeated requests for release for medical treatment.
Despite being seriously ill, Liu was forced to work over 14 hours per day between March and May at the camp and twice forced to sit at a "tiger bench" at the rehabilitation centre.
The rights group is asking China to hold accountable those officials responsible for torturing Liu and ensure she is not subjected to further torture.
"Authorities hope that such a blatant case of torture would evade the world's radar when it's transfixed on the Olympics," said CHRD researcher Chen Ming.
Liu began petitioning the government for redress in the late 1990s when the local government of her hometown of Beian City broke a contract and repossessed a farm she had leased from them and had turned into a profitable business.
After having exhausted all legal avenues to reclaim the farm, she began petitioning the central government and since 2003 had organized other petitioners to submit letters advocating legal and political reforms.
On October 8, Liu released a public letter signed by 12,150 petitioners calling on leaders at the 17th Communist Party Congress to reform. She was seized by police three days later and subsequently sent to the labour camp. (dpa)