BEIJING - China has made strides in protecting the human rights of prison inmates in recentyears, including scrapping a conduct policy that discriminated against homosexual inmates,according to a judicial official in charge of penal human rights studies.
The Ministry of Justice has rewritten the national code of conduct for prison inmates, eliminatingbans on homosexuality, dyed hair and other lifestyles and practices that were previously notallowed in prisons. The revision was made in order to show respect for the human rights ofprison inmates, according to Feng Cangjian, head of the Human Rights in Justice office of theministry's Institute for Crime Prevention.
Feng said Thursday on the sidelines of the fourth Beijing Forum on Human Rights that aperson's sexual orientation should not make them a target for discrimination, whether thatperson is in prison or not. However, he also said that this does not mean that acts ofhomosexuality are accepted in prisons.
"The inmates will be left alone if their homosexuality remains 'spiritual'," Feng said. "Butbecause prison inmates are not free persons, they can not act as freely as the rest of us."
The official said it is an international practice not to discriminate against homosexual inmates,but to instead restrict their behavior. "I raised the question when I visited prisons in the UnitedStates. Prison officials there told me homosexual partners are separated if they attempt toremain together," Feng said.
Feng said prisons in Beijing have also banned officials from ordering inmates to squat with bothhands crossed behind their heads, a practice that is commonly used to demoralize inmates whoare entering prison for the first time.
Feng said that the human rights of death row inmates have been respected as well, as prisonauthorities have begun to allow death row inmates to meet their immediate relatives beforebeing executed. The use of lethal injection as a method of execution is also being promoted, asit is considered to be more humane than traditional firing squad executions.
The use of lethal injection in China began in 1997 and has completely replaced execution byfiring squad in the provinces of Shandong, Yunnan and Liaoning, according to official statistics.
Although the policy revisions are promising, challenges still remain in enforcing the changes, astraining the country's 300,000 prison wardens to keep them up to speed on the changes willtake time, Feng said.
Verbal abuse directed toward suspects, convicts and inmates remains prevalent, Feng said.
"Prosecutors are still accustomed to describing suspects as 'inhumane' or 'acting like ananimal.' Such degrading terms are even seen in court verdicts," Feng said.
Feng said the ministry will publish a textbook in October for the purpose of educating prisonwardens about their inmates' human rights.
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