''Shuanggui'' is an internal disciplinary process conducted by the
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) is the highest internal control institution of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), tasked with enforcing internal rules and regulations and combating corruption and malfeasance in the par ...
of the
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...
(CCP) – and its lower-level affiliates – on members of the Party who are suspected of "violations of discipline," a charge which usually refers to
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
but can occasionally carry other connotations as well. The ''Shuanggui'' process is conducted in secret, in a system which is separate from ordinary
Chinese law enforcement. Generally, subjects are isolated from any form of legal counsel or even family visits during the process.
Some journalists maintain that the practice has been involved in
extraordinary renditions
Extraordinary rendition is a euphemism for state-sponsored forcible abduction in another jurisdiction and transfer to a third state. The phrase usually refers to a United States-led program used during the War on Terror, which had the purpose ...
.
[]] It is an
extrajudicial
Extrajudicial punishment is a punishment for an alleged crime or offense which is carried out without legal process or supervision by a court or tribunal through a legal proceeding.
Politically motivated
Extrajudicial punishment is often a fea ...
process outside of the control of the Chinese State.
By the point the party member is informed of their ''Shuanggui'', the party disciplinary agencies have often already found enough evidence behind the scenes to establish guilt. As such, being taken to ''Shuanggui'' is usually taken as an indictment with
presumed guilt despite party regulations which stipulate a
presumption of innocence
The presumption of innocence is a legal principle that every person accused of any crime is considered innocent until proven guilty. Under the presumption of innocence, the legal burden of proof is thus on the prosecution, which must present com ...
. Party investigators often turn the suspect over to the formal system of prosecution, that is, the
procuratorate, if the member is deemed to be guilty, which is most times the case. The system has been described variously as an effective way to root out corruption but also as depriving its subjects of basic legal rights. There have been reports of ''Shuanggui'' subjects being
torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...
d to extract
forced confession
A forced confession is a confession obtained from a suspect or a prisoner by means of torture (including enhanced interrogation techniques) or other forms of duress. Depending on the level of coercion used, a forced confession is not valid in re ...
s.
[
]
Etymology
The term "''Shuanggui''" means "at an appointed time and place": as "shuang" means double, "gui" meaning appointed, or designated. The term is an abbreviation of codified disciplinary procedures inside the Party which states that a member must "be present at a designated time and designated location", hence 'double designated', "...to provide explanations on issues related to an ongoing case." The term in Chinese may also used as a passive voice
A passive voice construction is a grammatical voice construction that is found in many languages. In a clause with passive voice, the grammatical subject expresses the ''theme'' or ''patient'' of the main verb ā that is, the person or thing t ...
form, for example, someone could be "shuanggui'dā.
Administrative Supervision Law Article 20 (3) also provides that "personnel under investigation shall not be detained in any manner". However, in many cases, personnel may still be detained or even be hurt. On 9 April 2013, Yu Qiyi Yu Qiyi (), who was a Chinese Communist Party member and the chief engineer of Wenzhou Industry Investment Group, died on 9 April, 2013, during a shuanggui interrogation that involved torture. Shuanggui is an internal Communist Party disciplinary pr ...
, a state-owned enterprise cadre, was killed during the ''shuanggui'' process.
Legal basis
The legal foundation of the ''shuanggui'' system is a matter of some controversy and dispute. Both the ''Chinese Communist Party discipline inspection organs cases inspection regulations'' Article 28 (3) and the ''Administrative Supervision Law of the People's Republic of China'' Article 20 (3) provide that "Order personnel under investigation for suspicion of violating administrative disciplines to make explanations of the matters under investigation at an appointed time and place; however, personnel under investigation shall not be detained in any manner".
Nonetheless, ''Shuanggui'' was introduced in 1990 in order to get around the rule that public security departments can detain suspects for no more than 24 hours.
Procedures
The process of ''shuanggui'' has been shrouded in secrecy for many decades. In recent years much more light has been shed on the internal workings of the ''shuanggui'' system, both by Chinese media
The mass media in China consists primarily of television, newspapers, radio, and magazines. Since the start of the 21st century, the Internet has also emerged as an important form of communication by media, and is under the direct supervisi ...
and by foreign press.
When Party members are removed from their places of work for ''shuanggui'', they are typically held in isolation. They have no access to legal counsel, and are usually not allowed to have contact with their families. Every year, several thousand Party members are believed to be secretly detained for weeks and months under the system. Party officials say that nearly 90 percent of "major corruption cases" are cracked through the use of ''shuanggui''.[Wong, Gillian. ']
In China, Brutality Yields Confessions of Graft
" ''The Associated Press. March 10, 2014.
In 2013 anti-corruption officials investigated 173,000 cases of corruption using ''shuanggui''. Three people died during these interrogations. In one case, six Party interrogators, who tortured state engineer Yu Qiyi to death, were sentenced to prison.
In early 2014 Zhou Wangyan provided a detailed description of his time under ''shuanggui''. He told the Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
that he had been severely tortured during interrogation, in an effort to have him confess to a charge of bribery which he says he did not commit.
CCP interrogators forced his legs apart until his left thigh bone snapped with a loud ''"ka-cha"'' noise. Zhou said that he was deprived of sleep and food, nearly drowned, whipped with wires, and forced to consume feces. Other party officials told the Associated Press that they were "turned into human punching bags, strung up by the wrists from high windows, or dragged along the floor, face down, by their feet."
The actions taken against those in the custody of the ''Shuanggui'' system are designed to extract confessions. There is no external oversight of ''shuanggui'' facilities, allowing the Party to "abuse its own members in its own secret jails with impunity". Police officials who receive complaints of torturous and abusive ''shuanggui'' procedures are not allowed to investigate them.
Notable cases
A list of notable officials or Party cadres who have been subjected to ''shuanggui'' based on accusations of corruption or violations of CCP discipline:
* Bo Xilai
Bo Xilai (; born 3 July 1949) is a Chinese former politician who was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges. He came to prominence through his tenures as Mayor of Dalian and then the governor of Liaoning. From 2004 to November 2007, ...
* Chen Xitong
Chen Xitong (; June 10, 1930 ā June 2, 2013) was a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party and the Mayor of Beijing until he was removed from office on charges of corruption in 1995.
Early life
Chen was born on June 10, 1930, i ...
* Chen Liangyu
Chen Liangyu (; born October 24, 1946, in Shanghai) is a Chinese politician best known for his tenure as the Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai, the city's top office, and a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, from 2002 ...
* Cheng Kejie
* Ji Jianye
Ji Jianye (; born January 1957) is a former Chinese politician. He was mayor of Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province, from 2010 to 2013. Prior to that Ji held office as mayor, then party secretary of the city of Yangzhou between 2003 and 2010. I ...
* Yu Qiyi Yu Qiyi (), who was a Chinese Communist Party member and the chief engineer of Wenzhou Industry Investment Group, died on 9 April, 2013, during a shuanggui interrogation that involved torture. Shuanggui is an internal Communist Party disciplinary pr ...
* Ling Jihua
Ling Jihua (; born 22 October 1956) is a former Chinese politician and one of the principal political advisers of former leader Hu Jintao. Ling was best known for his tenure as chief of the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party between ...
* Mao Xiaoping
Mao Xiaoping (; born July 1957) is a former Chinese politician, most widely known for his tenure as the Mayor and Communist Party Secretary of Wuxi, a city in Jiangsu province. He was investigated for corruption in 2012 and later expelled from ...
* Meng Hongwei
Meng Hongwei (; born November 1953) is a former Chinese politician and police officer who was the president of Interpol from 2016 to 2018. He also served as vice-minister of Public Security in China from 2004 to 2018. Meng purportedly resigned in ...
References
{{China national security
Chinese Communist Party
Extraordinary rendition program
Torture
Enforced disappearance