Catholics from two mountain villages in Lingshou county, Hebei province, northern China, are allegedly being subjected to arbitrary detention, torture and heavy fines by local officials for breaches of the government birth control policy. Their villages have apparently been made “key points” of a birth control campaign launched in Spring 1994 under the slogan “better to have more graves than more than one child”. This action gives information about specific allegations of torture, detention and confiscation of property in lieu of fines. Catholics in other villages in the area have reportedly been subjected to similar treatment.
