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| Prisoners perform manual labour in Chongqing. Photo: SCMP |
A Chinese
man who served two years in a hard labour camp for mocking a crime crackdown by
disgraced former politician Bo Xilai welcomed proposed changes to the “re-education”
system on Tuesday.
Peng Hong
said he was encouraged by reports that China would reform the long-criticised
system, in which people can be sentenced to up to four years of re-education by
a police panel without even having a chance to put their case.
“I think
there should be a trial procedure before a person is given labour education
punishment,” he told reporters in his first interview with foreign media.
“It
shouldn’t be as before, when a person’s freedom could be restricted for four
years by a committee connected to the police without any trial.”
Peng was
sent to the camp near his home town of Chongqing in September 2009.
He had
re-posted a political cartoon mocking a crime crackdown launched in the
southwestern city by Bo, its then-party chief since toppled by a murder and
corruption scandal, and his now-imprisoned head of police Wang Lijun.
On Monday
the official microblog of the CCTV state news channel quoted Meng Jianzhu, a
member of the powerful 25-strong Politburo who oversees politics and legal
affairs, as saying that China would stop using the system.
The reports
were quickly deleted, but on Tuesday state-run media said changes would be
made. “The government will push reforms of the system this year,” said the
China Daily, without giving details.
Most of
those condemned to the camps, where they perform manual labour such as farm or
factory work, are accused of petty offences, although no criminal conviction is
necessary.
Opponents
say they are also used to silence government critics and would-be petitioners
who seek to bring their complaints against officials to higher authorities.
The system
has faced growing criticism for being open to abuse and public anger has
previously erupted over sentences deemed too harsh.
News of the
reforms was widely welcomed on China’s hugely-popular microblogging sites. “The
illegal and inhumane labour camp system has finally come to an end,” said one
poster on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter.
“Re-education
through labour – the source of all evil,” said another user.
Peng said
he received 113,000 yuan (US$18,000) in compensation last November after he
launched a campaign to rescind his sentence.
He still
faces financial hardship and is struggling to pay hospital costs for his sick
daughter, who was born while he was interned.
But the
37-year-old said he was “not angry” over his detention.
“I have no
complaints,” he said. “There should be some improvements (in the rule of law)
if the system is reformed. We should be optimistic.”
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