ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the materials regarding large-scale persecution of various types of political prisoners and the human rights abuses committed in the labour reform camps (LRCs) in previous century. It investigates the economic function and actual conditions prevailing in the LRCs over the past century of Communist Party control. The Communist Party has instituted many new LRC policies and measures. The number of political offenders in the LRCs has decreased sharply and stands at approximately 10 percent of the total population. During last century the effectiveness of thought reform and political education has decreased dramatically, mirroring the general collapse of faith in socialism and Mao Zedong Thought in the society at large. The modernization and commercialization of LRC production has accelerated the trend of selling LRC products on the international market. Under the guidance of relevant Communist Party policies, the use of forced labour to provide wealth has been a major task for many LRCs.