China tortures legal reps of religious groups
By Joseph DeCaro
(Worthy News) – China continues to oppress members of religious groups and often singles out those representing them for torture.
According to UCA News, torture is often used against lawyers, especially those defending Christians and other religious minorities.
Notable among China’s many victims is Gao Zhisheng, a lawyer who has spent the last nine years under house arrest and in “black jails” after defending other Christians and ethnic minorities.
Almost 250 lawyers have been targeted by Chinese authorities since July. Of that number, 30 are still unaccounted for, including Zhang Kai, a Christian lawyer who helped churches defend themselves from the Communist government’s campaign of cross removals in Zhejiang province.
Although China was among the first signatories to the Convention Against Torture in ’88, Beijing did not permit any U.N. inspections at its detention facilities until 2005.