China’s Missing Foreign Minister Raises Concerns About Secret Detention System
In a concerning development, China’s missing foreign minister has reportedly been placed under investigation by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) internal party police, known as the discipline inspection. If true, he is likely to disappear into a little-known secret detention system called Liuzhi.
This is not an isolated case; numerous individuals, including former Interpol President Meng Hongwei, business moguls, judges, and even entrepreneur Jack Ma, have all vanished into this system. Referred to as the CCP’s version of Guantanamo Bay, Liuzhi operates outside the state or judicial system, giving the CCP absolute power over its targets.
China has long had a system known as residential surveillance at a designated location (RSDL), which allows for the secret and incommunicado detention of individuals for up to six months. However, RSDL is part of the official judicial system and has some basic limitations. The CCP, unsatisfied with these constraints, established the Liuzhi system in 2018, removing any semblance of checks or balances.
Liuzhi functions similarly to RSDL but is run by the CCP’s internal police, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). Not being part of the judicial system, the CCDI cannot be held accountable for misconduct or torture. Individuals held under Liuzhi have no right to a lawyer, making it an alarming and oppressive system.
The CCDI rarely releases data, but available information shows that approximately 12,000 people have been subjected to the Liuzhi system. However, estimates from organizations such as Safeguard Defenders suggest that the actual number is closer to 77,000 people, with an average of 35-40 individuals being targeted every day.
Similarly, the RSDL system has admitted around 30,000 cases from 2020 to 2022, but experts believe the actual figure lies between 65,000 and 80,000 victims. These systems have resulted in enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions, often accompanied by severe torture, affecting hundreds of thousands of individuals since 2018.
It is evident that these disappearances are not isolated incidents but rather part of a deeply ingrained system in China. The widespread use of secret detention systems raises serious human rights concerns and goes against international standards of justice and fair treatment.
As news of China’s missing foreign minister highlights the extent of the Liuzhi system, international observers and human rights organizations are calling for greater scrutiny and action. The United Nations has condemned enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions, emphasizing the need to protect individuals’ rights.
It is crucial that China’s authorities address these concerns and ensure transparency, accountability, and respect for human rights. The international community must also exert pressure to ensure the well-being and protection of individuals subjected to these secret detention systems.
China’s practice of disappearing individuals without any judicial oversight or access to legal representation is a clear violation of fundamental rights. The world must continue to shine a light on these abuses and demand justice for those who have become victims of an oppressive system that operates outside the bounds of the law.
