China is reforming problematic labour camp system
BEIJING (AP) - China's system of imprisoning people in labour camps without trial is problematic, and the government is working on reforms, a senior judicial official said on Tuesday.
Mr Jiang Wei, the head of a government committee on judicial reform, said the government has found widespread agreement among legal scholars and lawmakers on the need to reform the labour camp detention system, and an overhaul is being devised based on that consensus.
Mr Jiang's comments were the latest indication from the government that after much debate, it is ready to revise the system - known as "re-education through labour" - which critics say ignores civil rights and is prone to abuse.
Chinese society had "reached a consensus on the need to reform the re-education through labour system", he said.


