E/CN.4/2006/6/Add.6 page 5 Introduction 1. The Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Manfred Nowak, undertook a mission to China from 20 November to 2 December 2005, at the invitation of the Government. The mission to China, which included visits to Beijing; Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR); and Urumqi, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR), materialized nearly 10 years after the initial request for a visit from the Special Rapporteur.1 Over the course of the visit, he examined the legal framework and governmental activities relating to the prohibition of torture and other forms of ill-treatment. He also examined the response of the Government to allegations of violations, particularly in relation to inquiry, impunity and prevention. The Special Rapporteur has based his findings on the situation of torture and ill-treatment in China on written information from and interviews with a wide array of sources, including Government officials, non-governmental organizations, lawyers, victims themselves, and witnesses, as well as from on-site inspections of detention facilities. 2. The main purposes of the visit were to assess the prevailing situation of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, to promote preventive mechanisms to eradicate torture and ill-treatment, and to begin a process of cooperation with the Government. 3. While visits were also planned for Jinan in Shandong Province and Yining in the XUAR, the Special Rapporteur sincerely regrets that he had to cancel these visits owing to time constraints, and expresses his gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the respective leaderships of Shandong Province and Yining Autonomous Prefecture for accommodating these last-minute changes to the programme. 4. While in Beijing, the Special Rapporteur met with officials of the Government, including Assistant Foreign Minister Shen Guofang; Vice-Minister of Justice Fan Fangping; Vice-Minister of Public Security Meng Hongwei; and Deputy Procurator-General Wang Zhenchuan. In Lhasa and Urumqi, the Special Rapporteur met with the Vice-Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Nima Cering, the Vice-Chairman of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, Jiapar Abibula, and with local officials, including from the Office of Foreign Affairs, the People’s Court, the Procuratorate, and the Departments of Justice and Public Security. 5. In Beijing, the Special Rapporteur visited No. 2 Municipal Detention Centre, Prison No. 2 (twice) and the Municipal Women’s Re-education through Labour (RTL) Facility. In Lhasa he visited Lhasa Prison, Tibet Autonomous Region Prison (also known as Drapchi Prison), and the recently opened Qushui Prison. In Urumqi, he visited Prisons No. 1, No. 3, and No. 4, as well as the Liu Dao Wan Detention Centre. In all facilities, the Special Rapporteur met with prison management and interviewed detainees in private. 6. The Special Rapporteur also met with prominent members of civil society, including the All China Lawyers’ Association, the Beijing Lawyers’ Association, China University for Political Science and Law, Renmin University, Tsinghua University, Beijing University, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Beijing Child Legal and Research Centre. Meetings were also held with individual lawyers, human rights defenders, academics, and members of the diplomatic corps and United Nations Country Team.