On 22 February 1995, Shanghai newspapers reported recent sentences passed on six police officers in Tangshan, Hebei Province, for causing a man’s death while attempting to extract a confession through torture. Five of the police officers were sentenced to terms of imprisonment; Ma Yajun, former commander of Hehuakeng police station was sentenced to death. While AI welcomes the investigation of torture allegations and the prosecution of officials involved, the organization is opposed to the death penalty in all cases. AI, therefore, is calling for the sentence to be commuted.
