Laogai System

Hangzhou Police Arrest Democracy Activists on Charges of Subversion of State Power

Authorities in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province arrested Chen Shuqing, a core member of the China Democracy Party, on charges of “subversion of state power.” Chen’s arrest comes after authorities detained another China Democracy Party member, Lu Gengsong, on the same charges. Chen previously served a four-year sentence for his role in establishing the China Democracy Party.

Renowned Attorney Gao Zhisheng "Utterly Destroyed" After Enduring Torture in Prison

Gao Zhisheng, a prominent lawyer released from prison last week, was reportedly physically and psychologically tortured while in custody. According to his lawyer, Jared Genser, Gao spent his three-year prison sentence isolated in a small cell, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365

Another Note From an Alleged Prison Laborer Found in Product Shipped Abroad

A Northern Ireland shopper discovered a note stuffed in a pair of pants she bought at a Primark store in Belfast written by a person claiming to a be a prisoner in a Chinese prison who is forced to labor 15 hours per day. The author of the note also claims that they “eat food that wouldn’t be fed to pigs and dogs,” adding, “We’re forced to work like oxen.”

Lawyer Charged With Inciting Subversion of the State as Crackdown Continues

Chinese authorities charged lawyer Tang Jingling with “inciting subversion of the state.” Tang has represented villagers fighting local corruption and land expropriation. He also founded a nonviolent civil disobedience organization in 2006. Following his detention last month, Tang was initially charged with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” Charging Tang with the more serious charge of “inciting subversion of the state” indicates that authorities intend to issue a lengthy prison term.

NPR's All Things Considered Tells Story of American Jailed in Chinese Detention Center

NPR’s All Things Considered tells the story of Stuart Foster, an American teacher who spent seven months in a Chinese detention center where he was forced to labor for up ten hours per day. Foster and other inmates were forced to make Christmas lights, which he claims were subsequently exported to the United States and other Western countries.

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