China Accused of Continuing Torture of Prisoners to Force Confessions
Comments Off on China Accused of Continuing Torture of Prisoners to Force Confessions
Originally published by Christian Today on September 16, 2026
A human rights organisation has accused Chinese authorities of continuing to use torture and other forms of ill-treatment against people in detention, including beatings and denial of medical care.
The Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) published a report on 16 September examining the cases of 209 prisoners who alleged that they had been tortured or mistreated while detained in China between 2016 and 2025.
The report said prisoners of conscience were particularly affected, despite Chinese laws prohibiting torture and the use of violence to obtain confessions.
Around one in five of those examined said they had been beaten, while 15 per cent said torture had been used to force them to confess. A further 35 per cent reported being denied adequate medical treatment. The report said 16 prisoner
……
The CHRD report documented allegations of other forms of mistreatment, including sleep deprivation, withholding food and water, exposure to freezing temperatures, electric shocks, confinement in iron cages and being suspended by the wrists.
Cases were recorded in every Chinese province and special administrative region except Macau, according to the organisation.
Chinese law provides prison sentences of up to three years for torture and the use of violence to obtain confessions, with heavier penalties where abuse results in injury or death.
China is also a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Torture. However, human rights organisations have repeatedly accused the authorities of failing to properly investigate and punish alleged abuses.
The CHRD said its report, titled “Swept Under the Rug: Systemic Failures to End Torture in the People’s Republic of China”, found no evidence of prosecutions or disciplinary action against those responsible for the alleged torture in the cases it examined.
“Torture persists because Chinese authorities typically refuse to investigate and prosecute allegations made by prisoners of conscience,” the report said, adding that complaints can sometimes result in further punishment.
……
Despite this, the CHRD said Beijing had become increasingly resistant to allegations of torture and international efforts to hold authorities accountable.
The organisation argued that the failure to investigate allegations properly weakens China’s legal system and allows reports of torture to continue.
This is a rewritten version of the article published by UCA News.