Refworld Case Law Collection Survey
China: Draft Police Law Entrenches Abuses
| Publisher | Human Rights Watch |
| Publication Date | 21 December 2016 |
| Cite as | Human Rights Watch, China: Draft Police Law Entrenches Abuses, 21 December 2016, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/585ceb0d4.html [accessed 10 January 2017] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The Chinese government should significantly revise the country's draft Police Law to bring it into conformity with international standards, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday in a submission to the National People's Congress Standing Committee.
"Police abuses caught on tape and widely viewed have made the force deeply unpopular," said Sophie Richardson, China director. "But the draft revisions to the Police Law do little to make the police more accountable, and actually expand the force's powers in ways that could exacerbate abuses."
Specifically, Human Rights Watch is concerned that the draft revisions will:
- Allow police to use firearms under conditions that go well beyond those permitted by international standards, including against people peacefully advocating for human rights or criticizing the Communist Party;
- Empower police to carry out unspecified "network controls" on the internet and other telecommunications, which may include network suspension; and
- Fail to impose meaningful curbs on wide existing police powers.
Human Rights Watch has for many years documented a range of police abuses, including the use of torture against criminal suspects, pervasive surveillance and censorship, repression of ethnic minorities, violence and detention against peaceful activists, harassment of non-governmental organizations, violence against journalists, and the use of force to break up peaceful protests.
"The Chinese government needs to impose strict limits to curb police powers and procedural safeguards that actually protect citizens from abuses," Richardson said. "The revisions to the Police Law provide an opportunity for real reform – if the authorities choose to seize that chance."
