China says some practitioners have committed suicide in custody but none have died from mistreatment. China's decision to allow the reporters' visit comes as Beijing is seeking support in its battle with Toronto and Paris to play host to the 2008 Summer Olympics. The 2008 host city will be named on July 13. China has long faced international criticism for its labor camp system. The top U.N. human rights official, Mary Robinson, has urged China to abolish the camps.
Chinese critics say the system is illegal and lacks oversight.
Police can send detainees to labor camps for up to three years without trial. Two organizers of the visit said they believed China had never before allowed foreign reporters inside a camp or let them interview followers who renounced Falun Gong. Reporters were accompanied by officials throughout the visit and were told they could not talk to inmates playing basketball or in two classrooms receiving lessons on mental health and Chinese laws. Reporters were allowed to freely question other inmates, but officials were generally within earshot. Banning Falun Gong was absolutely correct.