Guangzhou
(AsiaNews ) - The government of the metropolis of Guangzhou, capital of the
rich southern province of Guangdong , has announced that it will release "100
prisoners" later this year who are currently held in State camps for
"re-education through labor " . After
this release, "no one will be interned in the camps". The
system, known as "laojiao", is at the center of a wide-ranging
national debate: many, including the current leadership , say they want to abolish
the system, but their words have not been followed by actions .
The
laojiao are a form of imprisonment that has existed since the days of Mao
Zedong. Very
often Christians , dissidents , Falun Gong members are interned in them . The
state-run China Daily newspaper , reports that there are about 320 laojiaos,
where 500 thousand people, mostly criminals from the drug-world, are currently
held . In
these labor camps - organized as farms or factories - the prisoners have a
punishing schedule, working up to 12-15 hours a day for a minimum monthly pay .
After
a series
of statements related to its repeal, the new Premier Li Keqiang addressed
the subject of the laojiao, promising a "national reform of the system
within a year," but declining to give details except to say that these
" will be announced soon." In
addition to Guangdong , which seeks to maintain its reputation as the province most
open to the world , Yunnan has also announced that it " will not send any
more" prisoners to labor camps .
The
prisoners who will be freed in Guangzhou are all common criminals. However,
political dissidents and religious leaders are frequently sent to these state
gulags, often after being detained without trial: the reform of the code of
criminal procedure launched by Zhou Yongkang , who
later ended up being investigated, allows the police to intern "
uncomfortable " social elements in these labour camps for a maximum of 3
years.