| − | China’s network of penal forced labor facilities, established in the early years of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government to hold both criminals and political dissidents, remains in operation today.<ref>It is also known as the “laogai” system.</ref> U.S. law prohibits the importation of goods produced “wholly or in part in any foreign country by convict labor or/and forced labor or/and indentured labor under penal sanctions.”<ref>Tariff Act of 1930, 19 U.S. Code 19 § 1307.</ref> Artificial flowers, Christmas lights, shoes, garments, umbrellas as well as coal, cotton, electronics, fireworks, footwear, nails, and toys have been identified as produced in Chinese prison factories for export. Workers have been forced to work 13 hours a day under threat of physical punishment. | + | China’s network of penal forced labor facilities, established in the early years of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government to hold both criminals and political dissidents, remains in operation today.<ref>It is also known as the “laogai” system.</ref> U.S. law prohibits the importation of goods produced “wholly or in part in any foreign country by convict labor or/and forced labor or/and indentured labor under penal sanctions.”<ref>Tariff Act of 1930, 19 U.S. Code 19 § 1307.</ref> Artificial flowers, Christmas lights, shoes, garments, umbrellas as well as coal, cotton, electronics, fireworks, footwear, nails, and toys have been identified as produced in Chinese prison factories for export. |
| | + | {{quotebox|“detainees were forced to work up to 18 hours a day without pay for private companies working in partnership with Chinese authorities” and “were beaten for failing to complete work quotas."<ref>Cited in ''Prison Labor Exports from China and Implications for U.S. Policy'', U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission Staff Research Report, July 9, 2014.</ref>}} |
| | + | In addition to criminal sentences imposed by a court, administrative detentions imposed by police officials with no legal [[due process]] required, the CCP has a system of “Black Jails”, an unofficial system of unlicensed confinement facilities used by local CCP officials primarily to detain petitioners seeking redress of grievances.<ref>https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/china1109web_1.pdf</ref> |