GENEVA – A U.N. panel has urged the Chinese government to apologize to the victims of its 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square.
The Geneva-based Committee against Torture says China should also conduct an investigation into what happened around the Tiananmen Square protests and release any dissidents still being held.
In a 15-page report published Friday, the panel says torture and other forms of ill-treatment are still practiced by police and that other officials in China go unpunished.
It also expressed concern about the suppression of pro-Tibet demonstrations earlier this year and the continued use of forced labor for minor crimes.
The report appeared to be the Committee against Torture's strongest criticism of China regarding the Tiananmen Square protests.
The Chinese mission in Geneva was closed for the day when the report was issued and telephone calls were not answered there.