After the death of Hubei designer Sun Zhigang in a detention center in Guangzhou on March 20, 2003, the Chinese press has become full of articles on the topic of detention and police misconduct. The Chinese government has responded to public outrage over the issue with a number of proclamations and initiatives. On July 31, Minister of Public Security Zhou Yongkang admonished police officers nationwide to "resolutely stop malignant violations that offend the heavens and reason, and stir up public indignation." On September 7, the Ministry promulgated new regulations for police handling of administrative cases, saying that they would work protect the legal rights and interests of citizens. This roundtable will seek to understand the longer term effect of the Sun Zhigang case on China's system of prisons and administrative detention, as well as the continuing debate within China on how to curb or abolish torture.

The panelists:

Professor James Seymour, Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University's East Asian Institute, who is co-author of the book New Ghosts, Old Ghosts: Prisons and Labor From Camps in China. Dr. Seymour has traveled widely in China, and written many articles about human rights issues.

Dr. Murray Scot Tanner, Senior Political Scientist, RAND Corporation, author of the book The Politics of Law-Making in Post-Mao China: Institutions, Processes and Democratic Prospects. Dr. Tanner is the author of "China's Ambivalent Struggle against Torture," in Problems of Post-Communism, 2001. 

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