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Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Chinese cops jailed for torture

BEIJING - FOUR Chinese police officers were jailed for less than three years for torturing a high school student who later died, state media reported, in a case that sparked a nationwide probe into custody centres.

The officers, who included a former county-level police head, received terms of one to two-and-half years following the death of student Xu Gengrong in northern Shaanxi province, Xinhua news agency reported late on Tuesday.

The charges against the men included criminal abuse of power and using torture to extract a confession, Xinhua said.

Mr Xu, 19, died on March 8 after police tortured him to extract a confession over the murder of a female student, reports have said.

He died after 'suddenly falling ill' in police custody, Xinhua said, citing a court in northern Shaanxi province.

Mr Xu's case was one of several cases of prisoners or crime suspects, particularly youths, being killed or mistreated in custody that fuelled calls to stamp out police and prison brutality. -- AFP

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