---- Eine chinesische Insasse, zweite rechts, schreit, wie er seine Mutter bei einem Camp in Peking, China trifft, 30. November 2012. China top Gesetzgebung am Saturd
--FILE--A Chinese inmate, second right, cries as he meets his mother at a camp in Beijing, China, 30 November 2012. Chinas top legislature on Saturday (28 December 2013) formally abolished its re-education through labour camps, or laojiao system, state media reported. The decision was taken by the standing committee of the National Peoples Congress, at the conclusion of a six-day meeting, according to Xinhua news agency. The approval to end the labour camps, introduced more than half a century ago, closes the curtain on a dark aspect of the countrys modern history long criticised by human rights groups and which Chinese authorities admit is no longer viable. China began re-education through labour in 1957 as a speedy way to handle petty offenders. But the system -- which allows a police panel to issue sentences of up to four years without trial -- soon became rife with abuse.
