Posted on 11/12/2009 5:44:25 AM PST by opentalk
China continues to operate a network of "black jails" to detain poor people who attempt to go to Beijing to complain about injustices at the hands of corrupt local officials, according to Human Rights Watch.
The unofficial jails, which have been found in the basements of hotels, hospitals and even government ministries, are guarded by privately-hired thugs and "retrievers" who are paid to abduct complainants before they reach senior officials in Beijing.
The New York-based rights group's 53-page report , "An Alleyway in Hell", is based on interviews with former black jail inmates, Chinese journalists, lawyers and academics, and has been published just days before President Barack Obama makes his maiden visit to China.
Mr Obama is under pressure not soft-pedal on human rights when he meets China's leaders, following his decision to refuse a meeting with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama last month in a move that was widely seen as a sop to Beijing.
Similar criticisms were leveled against the Obama administration last February when Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, said that discussion of Chinese human rights abuses should not "interfere" with discussions on the financial crisis, climate change and security.
A policy paper released this week by the US Brookings Institution argues that Mr Obama should avoid side-stepping controversial political differences, but dare to use a public event to speak directly to China's people about democracy as a universal value.
...Officially, Chinese have the right to take their grievances to the central government in Beijing a modern version of an imperial tradition however, in practice, local governments work hard to keep petitioners from reaching the capital.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Shhh! They might get the idea to do the same thing here—especially if “health care” and “cap and trade” go through.
Shhh! They might get the idea to do the same thing hereespecially if health care and cap and trade go through.
Sounds more like an SEIU operation than an ACORN front.
An insensitive person would make a crack here about our jails already being mostly black.
Not being insensitive, I won’t do it.
I'm reposting this article I missed, and a link to a new story about China's secret arrest and detention machine to the CW2 list, because any CW here will surely feature a program similar to this.
It's good to understand in advance how this machinery of state repression works.
I can't post any of this article from the Sydney Morning Herals due to copyright hassles.
“A Chinese journalist has uncovered the economics of China’s ‘’huge and monstrous’’ state-sanctioned abduction industry, which is designed to prevent citizens from reporting grievances to Beijing.
“More than 10,000 people at a time have been engaged by municipal and county governments to ‘’retrieve’’ citizens before they could lodge complaints at national petitions offices in Beijing, says Outlook Magazine, citing knowledgeable officials.
“’’In Beijing, a huge and monstrous ‘grey business network’ has emerged to feed, house, transport, ‘man-hunt’, ‘detain’ and retrieve petitioners,’’ said the magazine, owned by China’s official Xinhua news agency.
“It said abuses in the quasi-commercial abduction and detention network were ‘’seriously damaging the Government’s image’’. The Government has twice this year denied such black jails exist.
“On November 12, Human Rights Watch detailed how China’s black jails replaced vagrant detention centres in 2003 and now constitute ‘’one of the most serious and widespread uses of extralegal detention in China’s recent history’’.”
I see China has invented a new Gulag,.
“Snatch & Grab” hell holes.
And the government even allows you to make a profit on the spread. Looks like a potential new “job’s program” for Obama.
Link?
They exist over here also.They just haven’t been used yet.
But I have a feeling that before very many moons have passed that they will be.
This shit with the SEALs and obama’s ROE in Agganistan and his “diversity” crap is for one purpose and onepurpose only. To destroy the morale of the Armed Forces. Why? Simple. Destroy the morale of a organization, and one effectively destroys that organization.
“Jobs created or saved.”
Besides demoralizing the military, it will also lead to a lot of well-trained soldiers back on the home front.
We all know exactly what you-know-who thinks about us.
On the flip side, it also turns them against the government...that's a good thing for us
That bothers me. I believe that the fight will not against the government as much as it will be against those who create or support unconstitutional government programs.
I see your point, way too may possiblities to even contimplate how it’s all going to end up....what a mess we’re in :(
From my past experience, I can tell you that it will not be a pleasant affair.
Yeesh, too depressing for today, it must be 5:00 somewhere ;^)
I hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving, FRiend!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.