China's black jails

Al Jazeera's Melissa Chan has a chilling report on China's black jails, the illegal detention centers local officials use to detain and intimidate petitioning citizens. Petitioners are sometimes held for weeks or months at a time in these underground sites to prevent them from filing complaints that could embarass officials. The police turn a blind eye and in some cases are in on the kidnapping.

When Chan knocks on the door of one-such facility, she hears a prisoner screaming for help from inside:

The New York Times also reported on black jails in March:

(Hat tip: China Digital Times)