Beijing [China], December 29 (ANI): China has expanded its network of specialised detention facilities to more than 200 nationwide, designed to interrogate suspects in Xi Jinping's growing anti-corruption campaign, CNN reported.

These new centres, part of the country's broader crackdown, now target not only Communist Party members but also figures from various public sectors, including private entrepreneurs and administrators in schools and hospitals.

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Since Xi took power in 2012, his anti-graft campaign has swiftly removed corrupt officials and political rivals, consolidating his control over the party and military. Now in his third term, Xi has institutionalised this crackdown, making it a permanent fixture of his leadership.

The newly expanded detention system, named "Liuzhi" or "retention in custody," involves facilities with padded cells and 24/7 surveillance, where detainees can be held for up to six months without legal representation or family visits. This is a continuation of a system previously used to intimidate and control party members.

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Historically, the Communist Party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) had used secretive detention methods to interrogate suspected officials, with no legal counsel or family access.

In 2018, amidst criticism over abuse and forced confessions, Xi abolished the "Shuanggui" system but did not end secret detention. Instead, he codified it under the newly established National Supervisory Commission (NSC), which merged with the CCDI and extended its powers to all public sectors.

Despite the formalisation, the Liuzhi system retains many of the features of its predecessor, including prolonged detention incommunicado and lack of oversight. A criminal defence lawyer who has worked on corruption cases involving Chinese officials told CNN that detainees still face abuse and coercion in Liuzhi custody.

"Most of them would succumb to the pressure and agony. Those who resisted until the end were a tiny minority," the lawyer said.

Liuzhi, the detention system introduced by Xi Jinping, casts a much broader net than its predecessor, Shuanggui. It targets not just Communist Party members, but anyone exercising "public power," including civil servants, school and hospital administrators, and even state-owned enterprise managers. It can also detain individuals linked to corruption cases, such as businessmen suspected of bribing officials under investigation, reported CNN.

High-profile detainees include billionaire investment banker Bao Fan and former soccer star Li Tie, who was sentenced to 20 years for corruption this month. Over the past two years, at least 127 senior executives of publicly listed firms have been detained under Liuzhi, many from private businesses, according to company reports.

State media argue that the expanded jurisdiction addresses long-standing gaps in the anti-corruption campaign, targeting everyday abuse of power in the public sector, such as bribes in hospitals or misused school funds. Critics, however, see this as another example of Xi tightening the party's control over the state and society.

Between 2017 and November 2024, at least 218 Liuzhi centres have been built, renovated, or expanded, according to CNN's review of public government documents. The actual number may be higher, as many local governments do not publish or delete tender notices.

The surge in construction reflects the NSC's expanded powers and efforts to standardise and regulate Liuzhi facilities, which are now replacing the ad-hoc use of hotels and villas under Shuanggui.

CNN reached out to the National Supervisory Commission and the State Council Information Office for comment. An analysis of tender notices reveals a dip in construction during the pandemic, but the pace picked up in 2023 and 2024. More detention centres have been built, especially in regions with larger ethnic minority populations.

In Shizuishan, a city in the Hui Muslim minority region of Ningxia, a 77,000-square-foot Liuzhi facility was approved in 2018, with a budget of 20 million yuan (USD 2.8 million), according to a government notice.

This document provides a rare look at the center's design, which includes padded walls, rounded furniture, and anti-slip floors to prevent self-harm. Bathrooms feature padded washbasins and toilets, while surveillance cameras and other ceiling-mounted installations are designed with "anti-hanging designs" for safety.

The safety features aim to reduce suicides, a longstanding issue in Shuanggui detentions. However, Shizuishan's facility became overcrowded, prompting the city to announce an expansion project in June. The expansion includes new interrogation rooms, a staff canteen, and additional detention cells.

The Chinese government has never published official figures on Shuanggui detentions, and Liuzhi numbers are similarly elusive. The only national data available is from 2023, showing that 26,000 people were detained by the NSC and its local branches.

Provincial data, although inconsistent, reveals a sharp rise in detentions. In Inner Mongolia, 17 times more people were placed under Liuzhi custody in 2018 than under Shuanggui in 2017, according to the region's supervisory commission.

Authorities have implemented standardised construction rules for Liuzhi centres, with a national plan for building these facilities between 2023 and 2027, cited in several government documents and tender notices.

Dingxi, a poor city in Gansu province, announced plans for a 305-million-yuan (USD 42 million) detention center to meet CCDI and NSC standards for "standardised, law-based, and professional operations." The complex will include 542 rooms, 32 detention cells, and accommodations for staff, according to a 2024 budget document from the city's anti-graft agency.

Officials and state media have praised the transition from Shuanggui to Liuzhi as a step toward "rule of law in anti-corruption work." The Shuanggui system, criticised for using threats and torture, led to 11 deaths from 2010 to 2015, according to Human Rights Watch.

Unlike Shuanggui, which lacked a legal foundation, Liuzhi is now enshrined in the national supervision law, introduced in 2018. This law prohibits illegal means of evidence collection, including threats and deception, and bans physical abuse or corporal punishment.

Interrogations are required to be recorded on video. However, legal experts argue that the law merely gives a legal facade to a detention system outside the judicial process, prone to abuse.

"In the past, it was extra-legal. Now, some critics call it 'legally illegal,'" said a Chinese legal scholar, speaking anonymously due to fears of government retaliation.

Unlike criminal arrests, Liuzhi operates outside the judicial system and denies detainees legal representation, raising concerns about potential abuse of power, said a second Chinese scholar who also requested anonymity.

In September, Zhou Tianyong, a former professor at the Central Party School, warned that local authorities were exploiting corruption investigations to extort money from private entrepreneurs to address financial shortfalls.

In a viral article later censored, Zhou criticised local anti-graft agencies for detaining businessmen on fabricated bribery charges and forcing them to pay for their release. "If (this trend) spreads, it will undoubtedly lead to another disaster for the national economy," Zhou wrote.

Allegations of abuse and forced confessions have emerged in several Liuzhi cases. One notable case involves Chen Jianjun, a former architect and local official, who claimed he was deceived into making false confessions while detained under Liuzhi in 2022 in Xianyang.

During his six-month detention, Chen was watched by rotating guards and forced to sit upright for 18 hours a day without speaking or moving. Any slight bending of his back was met with reprimands, according to a written account posted on WeChat.

Chen was allowed less than six hours of sleep each night under constant bright lights and had to keep his hands visible. "The prolonged torment left me physically and mentally exhausted, with blurred consciousness, a mental breakdown, chaotic thoughts and hallucinations," Chen wrote, adding that he lost 15 kilograms during his detention.

In 2023, Chen Jianjun was sentenced to six years in prison for accepting 2.5 million yuan (USD 340,000) in bribes. He appealed and is awaiting a ruling, according to Caixin, a business magazine known for investigative reporting. CNN reached out to the Xianyang government and municipal supervisory commission for comment.

A Chinese lawyer who represented officials after their release from Liuzhi custody said it's common for detainees to sit in one position for up to 18 hours a day, causing severe pressure ulcers. Despite being treated, they were forced to keep sitting, worsening the condition.

"It was extremely torturous," the lawyer said. Some detainees were also given minimal food until they confessed, leading to malnutrition and health issues. "Many people eventually developed auditory hallucinations and felt like they were losing their minds," the lawyer added.

The lawyer explained that investigators often detain both an official and their spouse, even if the spouse doesn't hold public office, to pressure the official into confessing. Sometimes, the children of officials were threatened with detention for interrogation.

A draft amendment to the national supervision law, under review by China's top legislature, aims to address abuse concerns by requiring investigations to be "lawful, civilised, and standardised." However, the draft does not allow legal counsel during Liuzhi detention and proposes extending detention up to 16 months in certain cases, CNN reported.

The draft amendment has sparked criticism from Chinese lawyers and legal scholars, who argue that the powers granted to investigators during Liuzhi exceed protections for detainees' rights.

"Prolonged detention and interrogation present an extreme test that surpasses the physical and mental limits of the detainee," said Dacheng, a Beijing-based law firm, in a social media post.

"Under such extreme conditions, it becomes increasingly difficult to tell whether the detainee is giving an 'honest confession' based on facts or opting for 'full cooperation' by compromising the truth under unbearable pressure." (ANI)

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