A man at local government headquarters said leaders were “seriously concerned about the report,” but refused to give details or his name.
However, the China Daily cited the report as clear evidence that officials had abused their authority.
”Oppressing petitioners is no way to govern or to redress their grievances,” said the editorial, beneath the headline “Stop this cruelty.” The Beijing News report was picked up by other state media, including the Web site of the Communist Party’s flagship People’s Daily.
That marks the first time in years that this issue has been given such a high profile, said Robin Munro, a research associate with the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.
Munro, who has researched abuse claims extensively, said that could represent a desire to prompt a crackdown on misuse of mental hospitals to silence critics, which he said have grown more popular as other police powers to detain were eliminated.
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