Bo Xilai (center), communist party chief of Chongqing, has been accused of running an unconstitutional political campaign that is reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution.
Epoch Times
The “hitting the black” campaign in China was initiated in June 2009 by Bo Xilai, the high-profile communist party chief of Chongqing. The state-run media has lauded it as a means of cracking down on gangsters and local corruption, while critics view it as illegal, unconstitutional, and reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution. Some critics also say it functions to strengthen corruption within law enforcement circles.
The campaign has prompted the most large-scale crackdown on gangsters and corruption in the history of Chongqing since 1983, according to the deputy chief of the city’s Public Security Bureau.
An article in the Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily on Feb. 3 reported that the campaign resulted in 10,372 people arrested within the city and over 1,000 sentenced to forced labor between July 10 and Sept. 30, 2009. The article, titled “Waves of Forced Labor Detentions Amidst the ‘Hitting the Black’ Campaign,” describes how the campaign has resulted in an inundation of the detention centers in Chongqing.
Police stations required to meet detention quotas
The article says that local police stations are given “forced labor detention quotas.” A police chief receives a warning for not meeting the quota the first time; a second violation results in dismissal.
In order to meet quotas, some police stations resort to purchasing forced labor detainees—at a cost of 3,000 yuan (US$439) per detainee, according to the report.
City authorities also warn that anyone with a previous criminal record can be sent to a forced labor camp for carrying a knife.
One Chongqing resident said that local court officials made it clear that, under the “hitting the black” campaign, once a person is sent to a forced labor camp, he or she will be required to serve a forced-labor term.
The report also states that if it is determined that a mistake has been made, it is acceptable to compensate the person only after the term of detention is served.
