China accused over petitioners

By Louisa Lim
BBC News, Beijing

Petitioners have spent long periods waiting to be heard

A US-based rights group has accused the authorities in China of beating and intimidating thousands of citizens who were petitioning them for justice.

China changed its rules on petitioning this year, but Human Rights Watch says the new rules have not stopped abuses.

The treatment of petitioners highlights the authorities' struggle to deal with growing discontent in China.

Petitioning dates to imperial times, when disgruntled commoners took grievances to the highest authority.

Now 10 million people a year petition the authorities, with complaints about official corruption, police brutality and other injustices.

'Endangering stability'

This report highlights just how badly those petitioners are treated.

It says local officials tend to see them as a threat and will often send plain-clothes security officers to stop residents from petitioning.

These officers sometimes beat, kidnap and imprison would-be petitioners.

Human Rights Watch says it has even spoken to a few petitioners who have lost the use of limbs due to torture in detention.

The group is warning that by using violence, the authorities are closing off one of the only ways ordinary people can air their grievances and thus they are endangering social stability, which is the very thing they are trying to protect.