The People's Republic of the Disappeared (2nd edition): Stories from inside China's system for enforced disappearances

by Michael Caster, Teng Biao (Foreword)

"A set of unique, insider accounts into one of the most secretive prison systems in the world. If you've ever wondered what the rise of China means for human rights around the world, this book has the answer.""You are now under Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location. Your only right is to obey!"With these words, Chinese human rights lawyer Xie Yang was introduced to the horrors of "Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location" (RSDL), a brutal custodial system where victims are subjected to incommunicado and isolated detention, torture, and forced medication, often for six months or longer.This book gives voice to China's victims who, in their own harrowing words, describe the violent and dehumanizing reality of being disappeared in a system that now spans the whole of China. It present, for the first time, an in-depth analysis of the domestic legal framework China uses to disappear and torture its citizens, and how it violates fundamental international law.This second edition explores changes to both the RSDL system, while importantly presenting the first overview of the full ecosystem for disappearances that China has been developing since the release of the first edition. From enforced disappearances in mass concentration camps for Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, to the National Security Commission that targets anyone suspected of violating Party discipline using its liuzhi system, to disappearing people when inside detention centers awaiting trial, to disappearing those supposedly released from bail or prison, often using state-run hotels and guesthouses, to ad-hoc kidnappings.As China battles with the west to export its system of governance, understanding the breakdown of its fledging system of laws, its embrace of practices that violate fundamental international human rights, becomes ever more important. With China aggressively pushing for police and extradition cooperation across the globe, fears over an extradition bill which have sparked mass demonstrations in Hong Kong for example, understanding the role of the police and China's highly abusive systems for arbitrary and secret coercive custody is paramount.

Genres: China, Politics, Nonfiction

286 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2017

Reviews

[Calle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of stories, one by one, hammers home the reality about the horrible, disgraceful, yet effective mechanisms and techniques that the ruling caste of China use in order to enforce its iron grip of authoritarian power over one fifth of earth's population. In this system, the ruling elites paranoia and fear of the people at large means that they must create an even greater reciprocal fear in the people. Still there are those of unusual moral fibre who dare to insist on justice and basic human rights while risking brutal persecution; human rights lawyers, intellectuals and educators.

The book, by a dozen or so very consistent examples, reveals the brutal, ugly, paranoid, yet effective way in which the regime in practice goes about soiling its hands to not feel its power subverted. The security police simply spirit away the perceived troublemakers; disappear them blind folded, without letting anyone else knowing whereto either. They are swallowed up by the earth and brought to hell. Through extreme sleep deprivation, torture chairs, humiliation, round the clock surveillance, isolation, uncertainty, threats towards family, even the strongest cave in sooner or later and "confess" their alleged crimes and talk about others to whom the same experience awaits.

China is not Soviet or North Korea, through its own peculiar style of capitalism, and one fifth of earh's population, it has become the second largest economy in the world. The Chinese Communist Partys supreme, undivided, gargantuan power should be a concern for everyone on this planet. If most of the planet got under the heel of this kind of orwellian, high-tech authoritarian rule, would it ever be possible to regain basic human rights and dignity? How many of us would have the courage to stand up for what is right, if the rulers feel that what is right is, in whatever far fetched, round about way, a threat to their power? Very few. However, most of us can and should be vigilant, informed and speak up about these most important of matters while we're still free. The future freedom and dignity of humanity depends on enough people, especially in the free world, doing this work.

[Jiyu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made in China

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended to readers who want to learn more about how a nation violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.