China land activist tortured in prison

A Chinese land rights activist imprisoned after circulating a petition opposing the Beijing Olympics has been chained for days in the same position and forced to clean up the waste of other inmates, his sister and a rights group said Monday.

Yang Chunlin was detained in July in his native province of Heilongjiang in northeastern China and formally arrested a month later, accused of subverting state power _ a vague claim authorities commonly use to clamp down on dissent.

Yang Chunlin was detained in July in his native province of Heilongjiang in northeastern China and formally arrested a month later, accused of subverting state power _ a vague claim authorities commonly use to clamp down on dissent.

Details of his case are unclear, but he has repeatedly been pressured to confess, said his sister, Yang Chunping. She said Yang was not allowed to see his lawyer.

A laid-off factory worker, 52-year-old Yang Chunlin had in recent years been helping Heilongjiang farmers seek compensation for confiscated land.

Before his arrest he had gathered more than 10,000 signatures, mainly from farmers, for an open letter titled "We want human rights, not the Olympics." It was not clear whom the letter was addressed to.

Property disputes and illegal land grabs resulting from China's economic boom have triggered protests around the country. Government officials often have sided with developers, touching off the riots and demonstrations.

Land seizures have become a particularly sensitive issue ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Activists have accused authorities of forcing more than 1 million people from their homes to make way for new sports venues.

"My brother is not a criminal. He was trying to help the farmers to get their land back," Yang Chunping said in a telephone interview. "How can they call it a crime?"

A released inmate imprisoned with Yang Chunlin told her Yang had been subjected to two types of torture, including one where the prisoner's arms and legs were stretched and chained to four corners of an iron bed.

China Human Rights Defenders, an international network of activists and rights monitoring groups which has been following Yang's case, reported the same details as the sister.

"After a long period of time in the same position, the victim feels pain all over her or his body. The victim has to eat, drink and defecate in the same position," the group said Monday in an e-mail statement.

While torture is illegal in China, it is believed to be used widely by police and government officials who rely heavily on coerced confessions to prove criminal cases.

"If a prisoner beats another prisoner, he should be punished, not the one who was beaten," Yang Chunping said. "It's so unfair."

She said her brother had also been forced to clean up the excrement of prisoners subjected to similar torture.

Telephone calls to the prison were not answered on Monday.