Chinese media recently reported infamous ' Re ##sponsible Education Through Labor ' system would be abolished . China : Roughly 160,000 people are detained in China for up to four years without trial . Maya Wang : Like other long - mooted reforms , this might only be a cosmetic gesture . The system was further discredited by the recent detentions of Tang Hui , a mother seeking redress for the rape of her young daughter , and Ren Jianyu , a village official who posted negative comments online about the government . As a type of arbitrary detention , RTL should not be reformed , it should be abolished , she says .
Chinese media recently reported infamous ' Re ##sponsible Education Through Labor ' system would be abolished . China : Roughly 160,000 people are detained in China for up to four years without trial . Maya Wang : Like other long - mooted reforms , this might only be a cosmetic gesture . As a type of arbitrary detention , RTL should not be reformed , it should be abolished , she says .