Yunnan puts laojiao approvals on hold
By Cao Yin, China Daily, February 7, 2013
Yunnan has suspended approvals of laojiao (Re-Education Through Labor) decisions, as the unpopular system will be slowly phased out. Meng Sutie, secretary of the Yunnan Political Legal Commission, announced that future cases will be channeled through courts rather than the laojiao system, which allows police to detain people for up to four years. Scholars noted the use of the term “suspend,” commenting that it is still unclear precisely what future steps will be taken in reform of the system, or whether its regulations and mechanisms will be thoroughly abolished.
Summary by Amanda Brown-Inz. See Article for full text.
