[New Tang Dynasty Beijing Time, July 23, 2024] The Chinese Communist Party’s “designated residence surveillance” measures have been abused, with investigators resorting to torture to extract confessions from suspects, leading to deaths of suspects being a frequent occurrence. Recently, several scholars in mainland China have called for reform, while human rights lawyers believe this practice should be abolished.
The so-called “designated residence surveillance” is a coercive measure imposed by the Chinese Communist Party that restricts personal freedom. On July 20, Southern Weekend reported that “designated residence” has morphed into a more severe “super detention measure,” where investigators use torture to obtain confessions from suspects, employing methods such as forcing them to wear handcuffs and leg chains, sitting on interrogation iron chairs, beating, electric shocks, starvation, and restricting toilet use.
In recent years, there have been numerous cases where suspects died due to abuse during the “designated residence” period. This includes individuals such as Heibei Shijiazhuang man Bao Qinrui, 47-year-old veteran programmer Xing Yanjun, and Hubei theft suspect Yuan Shihong. Some suspects have even been rendered vegetative during this time.
Chinese human rights lawyer Wu Shaoping, based in the U.S., pointed out that the abuse of “designated residence” measures has been rampant among Communist Party investigators, and the cases that have come to light are just the tip of the iceberg.
Wu Shaoping: “Lawyers involved in the ‘709’ case, almost all of whom were captured by the Communist Party, have faced ‘designated residence surveillance’. Additionally, in the 2019 Xiamen gathering case I participated in, all my fellow civil rights activists, especially those sentenced, including two who are still pending, Liu Jiacai and Zhang Zhongshun, have suffered from the Party’s designated surveillance.”
Shanxi rights lawyer Chang Weiping was placed under “designated residence surveillance” in December 2019 for attending the Xiamen gathering. He once shared a video detailing how he was locked on a tiger bench for 10 days without rest.
Shanxi human rights lawyer Chang Weiping: “For 24 hours a day, for 10 days, this is an extreme form of torture. The damage caused to me is that the ten fingers of my right hand and my ring finger are still numb to this day.”
Wu Shaoping: “I have handled a case regarding Zhu Chengzhi, the so-called ‘disturbing the peace’ case. This elderly man was placed under designated residence surveillance during which he also faced torture, such as being deprived of sleep, food, and being held in solitary confinement.”
In the ‘709’ incident that occurred in 2015, over 300 lawyers and rights activists were arrested, many of whom also suffered varying degrees of torture.
Beijing rights lawyer Xie Yanyi has previously disclosed that he was held in a monitoring facility of the Tianjin Armed Police, where he endured beatings, threats, deprivation of food, prohibition from moving, sleeping in fixed positions, and sitting in military posture for 16 hours a day, along with restrictions on toilet access.
Xie Yanyi pointed out that designated surveillance is a form of inhumane, anti-human rights torture. It threatens everyone, including the rulers themselves, who could also be subjected to designated surveillance if they lose power.
Former Beijing lawyer and the head of the Canada-based Alliance for Democracy in China, Lai Jianping: “Why does the Communist Party implement such a so-called criminal coercive measure of surveillance? It is to better oppress and enslave Chinese citizens. This measure can last up to six months, and its implementation only requires approval from the Public Security Bureau, with no need for any participation from other departments.”
The Chinese Communist Party’s public security organs can designate any location for surveillance, and the implementation process lacks legal standards, restrictions, and oversight.
Lai Jianping: “Another important issue is that typically the individuals subjected to this surveillance are required to bear the costs, whether it be for detention centers or supposedly state-funded expenses. Therefore, this method allows public security authorities to act without any approval, with minimal costs and unrestricted power, along with a lengthy duration. It is a very effective method for the public security department to torture and frame ordinary Chinese citizens, depriving them of their basic human rights and freedoms.”
Wu Shaoping stated that the Communist Party has always valued confessions over evidence, and the introduction of “designated residence surveillance” measures is aimed at increasing procedural efficiency.
Wu Shaoping: “This practice is undoubtedly illegal because even if someone is a criminal, they cannot be subjected to torture for a confession; they possess basic human rights. The constitution also emphasizes the respect and protection of human rights, and this certainly violates those rights, infringing upon the constitution. It also constitutes a serious violation of criminal law, as torture for confession is explicitly prohibited.”
Southern Weekend stated that reform of the designated surveillance system has become a consensus in Chinese academia, with several scholars publicly advocating for reform.
Wu Shaoping: “Such reform is meaningless; it does not address the issue of how the Communist Police abuse designated surveillance measures. Therefore, the best solution is to abolish it outright, cutting off any attempts by these individuals to use or indirectly apply designated surveillance measures to process cases.”
Wu Shaoping pointed out that under the Communist system, investigators wield excessive power, and such measures are unnecessary; directly abolishing them can reduce the likelihood of suspects being tortured to death.
Editor/Interview/Li Yun Post-production/Wang Mingyu
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