Reports emerged early this week about the latest in a series of suspicious deaths in Chinese prisons when a 30 year old man died from starvation after 49 days in a Beijing detention center.  Prison officials (pictured at right receiving an award for their "excellence") insist that the man refused to eat, but the case highlights the need for comprehensive reform of the Chinese judicial system. 

According to Reuters, "At least seven people have been beaten to death in detention centers in China in 2009, Chinese media reported following a public outcry after one detainee's death was attributed to a game of 'hide and seek'.

"Human rights organizations and activists have routinely documented deaths and torture in Chinese police custody as well as in the extra-judicial "reeducation through labor" system."

China does not have an independent judiciary, and judicial decisions often rely heavily on confessions.  Detainees are “guilty until proven innocent” rather than the other way around.  And confessions extracted using torture are admissible in court, which effectively incentivizes police to torture those in custody. 

Arbitrary detention is also a huge problem. One of the worst examples of abuse is the continuation of Laojiao, or “re-education through labor” in which anyone can be detained for up to three years without trial, or even being charged.  The decision of who goes in and for how long rests solely with the police.  There is mounting domestic and international pressure to end Laojiao.  Hopefully the more the Chinese public hears about these suspicious deaths, the more they will demand reform.