China and US face rebuke

China has cracked down on the Falun Gong movement

By Claire Doole in Geneva

China and the US will be among the countries defending their records in preventing torture during a UN meeting in Switzerland.

Implementation of the UN Convention Against Torture will be examined by a 10-member committee who will issue recommendations.

China escaped rebuke at the UN Human Rights Commission last month but human rights groups say Beijing will face allegations of widespread torture.

The US is expected to be taken to task for police brutality and poor prison conditions.

It is the second time China has faced scrutiny since it ratified the convention.

Four years ago, the UN expressed concern about allegations of widespread torture and recommended that Beijing bring its laws into line with the convention.

The 14-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader fled China

Human rights groups say any legal changes made are rarely applied in practice and the punishment meted out to convicted torturers is disproportionate to the crime.

They also criticise the practice whereby evidence obtained through torture is allowable in court.

Human Rights Watch adds that Washington will face complaints of police brutality and inhuman prison conditions.

According to the group, a mere 36 of the 12,000 complaints filed with the US Justice Department went to trial.

It says US assertions of a comprehensive complaints system is a fake veneer and that Washington fails to take seriously its international obligations.

The US report is presented to the committee five years late.