(u) “Re-education through Labour” (RTL) and similar forms of forced re-education in prisons, pretrial detention centres and psychiatric hospitals should be abolished. Situation during visit in 2005 (See E/CN.4/2006/6/Add.6) exercising their human rights on the basis of vaguely defined crimes and sentenced to long prison terms. RTL and other forms of administrative detention had been used for many years against political groups, Falun Gong practitioners and human rights defenders accused of politically deviant and dissident behaviour, disturbance of the social order or similar petty offences. Some of these measures of re-education through coercion, humiliation and punishment aimed at altering the personality of detainees up to the point of breaking their will. Steps taken in previous years (See A/HRC/4/33/Add.2 and A/HRC/7/3/Add.2) Information received on steps taken since December 2007/current situation Non-governmental sources: RTL continues to be used in a wide range of cases against political dissidents, petitioners, religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities, human rights defenders and others, including cases involving prostitution and begging. Figures received on the number of existing RTL detention sites range from 320 to 352, with one source quoting the total number of detainees at 220,000. Several thousand persons are reportedly detained in the RTL system for illegal political activity, or to be punished for making trouble, without legal charges, trial or judicial review sometimes for a period of up to four years. RTL also continues to specifically target Falun Gong members. Torture and other illtreatment in RTL facilities continue to be reported. In the run-up to the Olympic Games, peaceful petitioners and rights activists in Beijing were arrested under the scope of RTL. The Special Rapporteur has not received information on when the Illegal Behaviour Correction 2007 draft law on the reform A/HRC/10/44/Add.5 page 18 Recommendation (E/CN.4/2006/6/Add.6)