Society

Police admits torture in suspect's death

By Wang Qingyun (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-04-19 13:47

Prosecuting authorities in Northwest China's Gansu province on Saturday approved the arrest of two policemen who were accused for the death of a suspect during interrogation, Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday. Police authorities admitted the use of torture.

Police in Xihe county, Longnan city of Gansu province, seized four suspects on April 1, of whom two turned themselves in, after a 16-year-old girl was raped and murdered on March 27.

One of the suspects, He Yong, died at the police station during interrogation on the evening of April 1. According to police, He died from a heart attack, but He's uncle, who attended the postmortem examination the next day, said the body was "all black and blue" and "too horrible to look at."

The Gansu Provincial Public Security Department admitted on Monday that the county policemen used torture to extort a confession from He. Although the cause of He's death is still under investigation, two Xihe county policemen who were interrogating him that night had been detained on April 3. 

Gansu prosecuting authorities approved the arrest of the two officers on April 16.

Several people are being held accountable for the death. Two top officials of Xihe county police bureau and an instructor were removed from their posts.