CHINA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 24 August 2011 CHINA 24 AUGUST 2011 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN CHINA FROM 13 TO 24 AUGUST 2011 Useful news sources for further information REPORTS ON CHINA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 13 AND 24 AUGUST 2011 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY............................................................................................................... 1.01 Map........................................................................................................................... 1.05 Languages .............................................................................................................. 1.06 Population ............................................................................................................... 1.07 Naming conventions............................................................................................. 1.08 Tibetan names...................................................................................................... 1.09 Public holidays ..................................................................................................... 1.10 2. ECONOMY .................................................................................................................. 2.01 Poverty..................................................................................................................... 2.03 Currency.................................................................................................................. 2.07 3. HISTORY..................................................................................................................... 3.01 1949-1976: The Mao Zedong era........................................................................... 3.01 1978-1989: China under Deng Xiaoping............................................................... 3.03 1990-2000: Post-Tiananmen Square..................................................................... 3.04 2000 onwards: A new generation of leaders ....................................................... 3.05 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS............................................................................................. 4.01 5. CONSTITUTION............................................................................................................ 5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM...................................................................................................... 6.01 Chinese Communist Party (CCP).......................................................................... 6.04 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................ 7.01 8. SECURITY FORCES ...................................................................................................... 8.01 Police ....................................................................................................................... 8.03 Private security firms............................................................................................ 8.06 Organised crime................................................................................................... 8.07 Armed forces .......................................................................................................... 8.12 Human rights violations by security forces ........................................................ 8.13 Torture.................................................................................................................. 8.13 Extrajudicial killings .............................................................................................. 8.22 Avenues of complaint ............................................................................................ 8.23 9. MILITARY SERVICE ...................................................................................................... 9.01 Postponement and exemption.............................................................................. 9.04 Desertion ................................................................................................................. 9.06 10. JUDICIARY .................................................................................................................. 10.01 Organisation ........................................................................................................... 10.01 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 12 August 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 August 2011. 24 AUGUST 2011 CHINA Independence ......................................................................................................... 10.02 Fair trial.................................................................................................................... 10.04 Restrictions on lawyers ......................................................................................... 10.07 Criminal Procedure Law (1997)............................................................................. 10.12 State Security Law (1993) ...................................................................................... 10.13 Double jeopardy ..................................................................................................... 10.15 11. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS .................................................................... 11.01 Arrest warrants ....................................................................................................... 11.08 Wanted posters....................................................................................................... 11.10 Resisting arrest/hitting an official ........................................................................ 11.13 Punishment of minor offences.............................................................................. 11.15 12. PRISON CONDITIONS ................................................................................................... 12.01 Psychiatric custody (Ankang system) ................................................................. 12.08 Administrative detention/labour camps............................................................... 12.13 Re-education Through Labour (RTL)................................................................... 12.13 Other forms of administrative detention............................................................... 12.18 13. DEATH PENALTY ......................................................................................................... 13.01 Suspended death sentences................................................................................. 13.04 Number of executions............................................................................................ 13.05 Judicial oversight................................................................................................... 13.07 People exempted from the death penalty ............................................................ 13.09 14. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ............................................................................................... 14.01 Freedom of political expression ........................................................................... 14.01 Freedom of association and assembly ................................................................ 14.07 Civil disturbances ................................................................................................. 14.10 Opposition groups and political activists............................................................ 14.20 China Democracy Party (CDP) ............................................................................ 14.23 UK Branch of the China Democracy Party .......................................................... 14.30 Monitoring of activists abroad .............................................................................. 14.31 Tiananmen Square activists................................................................................. 14.32 15. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ................................................................................ 15.01 Radio, TV and print media ..................................................................................... 15.01 Internet..................................................................................................................... 15.08 Journalists .............................................................................................................. 15.11 16. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS ..................................... 16.01 17. CORRUPTION .............................................................................................................. 17.01 Breaches of Party discipline ................................................................................. 17.04 Guanxi (social connections) ................................................................................. 17.06 18. FREEDOM OF RELIGION................................................................................................ 18.01 Registration............................................................................................................. 18.05 Buddhists ................................................................................................................ 18.08