China torture condemned by UN rights watchdog

The United Nations Committee Against Torture also called for a halt to acrackdown on lawyers and activists.

It issued its report after questioning a large Chinese government delegation as part of a two-day hearing.

The report gives Beijing one year to make progress towards complying with the Convention Against Torture.

"The Committee remains seriously concerned over consistent reports indicating that the practice of torture and ill-treatment is still deeply entrenched in the criminal justice system, which overly relies on confessions as the basis for convictions," the committee said.

At the hearing to review China's record on torture, held for the first time since 2008, China denied it held political prisoners and said torture was banned, to derision from dissidents.

Photo:AP