China is building new detention centers nationwide under XI Jinping Anti -Corruption campaign

China is building new detention centers nationwide under XI Jinping Anti -Corruption campaign

China has built or expanded more than 200 specialized detention centers under the leadership of XI Jinping to interrogate suspects as part of the growing anti-corruption campaign. These investigations now extend far beyond the Communist Party and concern a wide range of public sectors.

scope of the anti-corruption campaign

Since taking office in 2012, XI has started a comprehensive campaign against bribery and loyalty violations. Corrupt officials and political rivals were placed with unprecedented speed and on an unforeseen scale, while XI consolidated the party and the military at the same time.

In the meantime, XI, now in the third term, has made his tireless campaign a permanent characteristic of his indefinite rule. He is increasingly using the terrible instruments of his anti -corruption initiative against a much broader layer of society, which includes private entrepreneurs and administrative managers of schools and hospitals - regardless of whether they are members of the 99 million strong party.

The new stinc regime: Liuzhi

The extended detention regime, which is known as "Liuzhi" or "Prison for Enlightenment", includes institutions with padded walls and around the clock monitored cells in which prisoners can be held up to six months without contact with a lawyer or family. It is an expansion of a system that the party has used for a long time to exercise control and to fuel fear among its members.

The party's disciplinary commission, the Central Commission for Disciplinary Council (CCDI), operated a secret, extra-legal system for decades to interrogate communist party squads for corruption and other offenses. Accused officials often disappeared in secret places for months without having access to legal assistance or family visits.

The codification of secret detention

in 2018, under the pressure of increasing criticism of widespread abuse, torture -like practices and forced confession, XI completed the controversial practice of the "Shuanggui". This allowed the party to load members for an investigation at a specified time. Instead, the secret was legally anchored, received a new name and fell under the control of a powerful new state authority, the National Supervisory Authority (NSC).

The NSC was founded in 2018 to consolidate the government forces in the fight against corruption. The two authorities work closely together and share offices and staff, which extends the influence of the party's internal anti -corruption authority on the entire public sector. The new "Liuzhi" regime preserves many characteristics from its predecessor, including the possibility of keeping suspects in custody without contact with the outside world and a lack of independent supervision.

The effects on society

The "Liuzhi" system draws a much larger network than the predecessor system "Shuanggui" and not only is directed against party members, but also against anyone who exercises public power-from civil servants and government agents to managers of public schools, hospitals, sports organizations and state-related companies. People can also take in custody who are suspected of being involved in a corruption case, such as entrepreneurs who are suspected of having paid an investigation official bribe.

structures and conditions in the detention centers

An analysis of the tenders shows that the number of new construction projects for the construction of detention centers for "Liuzhi" increase again in 2023 and 2024. In regions with a higher percentage of ethnic minorities, several detation centers were built or expanded. The interiors of such detention centers must have complete padding in order to minimize the risk of self -harm - a problem that often occurred in previous forms of adhesion.

in a detention center in Shizuishan, the officially recognized center of the Hui-Muslim minority, a new Liuzhi site with an area of 77,000 square foot and a budget of 20 million Yuan was approved. The regime demands that all cells, hearing rooms and the nurse rooms are equipped with fully padded walls to ensure the safety of the prisoners.

legal disputes and own abuse

Although the "Liuzhi" regime is considered a legal system, legal experts warn that it forms only a thin pretext of legal practices about a remaining and abusive form of detention. Chinese lawyers and lawyers describe the methods of adhesion as extremely stressful that can exceed both the physical and the psychological limits of prisoners.

The system does not allow legal representation and is done outside the judicial system, which underlines the possibility of abuse of power. This leads to concern about fairness and the expressions of confessions that come about under such extreme conditions.