NEW YORK, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Chinese drug users are imprisoned in detention centers where they are denied treatment, physically abused and used as forced labor, a group says.
In a report released Wednesday, Human Rights Watch says drug users can be incarcerated for up to seven years without trial or judicial oversight under China's 2008 Anti-Drug Law.
"The Chinese government has explained the law as a progressive step towards recognizing drug users as 'patients,'" said Joe Amon, Health and Human Rights Division director at Human Rights Watch, "but they're not even being provided the rights of ordinary prisoners."
Those detained in some drug detention centers are often beaten, denied appropriate medical treatment and are worked as much as 18 hours a day without pay, the report says.
The new law increases the health risks, social marginalization and stigmatization of suspected drug users, the report says.
"Instead of putting in place effective drug dependency treatment, the new Chinese law subjects suspected drug users to arbitrary detention and inhumane treatment," Amon said.
