Much-Criticized Law on Vagrants Is Abolished
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China abolished a 20-year-old vagrancy law that human rights groups said had let police imprison people at will, leading to hundreds of detainees’ deaths.
Elimination of the law was the latest small but significant political change by Premier Wen Jiabao and President Hu Jintao since they took power in March.
The decision followed the highly publicized death in custody of a graphic designer detained in March. Under the law, police could jail without cause anyone without an ID card, temporary residence card or work permit. About 1 million people, mostly migrant workers, have been jailed under the law.
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