One of the worst aspects of this abuse is the widespread use of torture. Victims include people who are not suspected of any crime, but who become involved in disputes with officials or attempt to defend their rights. The lack of effective safeguards mean that anyone can be at risk. In 1995 for example, a police officer in Liaoning province tortured four teenage girls and two young men to make them confess to promiscuous behaviour. He then demanded a large sum of money from their families as a condition for release.
Any prisoner faces the risk of torture.
Methods include severe beatings, suspension by the arms and whippings. According to Chinas own official press, many victims die as a result of torture, while others are left permanently disabled. Although some forms of torture are prohibited by national law, few perpetrators are punished. Torture using electro-shock weapons is common, with batons applied to the feet, armpits, genitals, and inside the mouth or vagina. Some of these batons were exported to China from other countries.