Inmate dies after hunger strike

The death of an inmate in a detention house in Beijing's Haidian district after a 49-day hunger strike has triggered speculation once again about police power abuse inside detention centers.

Qi Changjiang, a 30-year-old man from Qianshan county of Anhui province, died in No 261 hospital in Beijing in the early morning of Sept 17. His diagnosis read: "Heartbeat suddenly stopped 49 days without eating caused the death".

According to police, Qi had been refusing to eat since he was put into the detention house in Haidian district on July 26 for selling fake receipts in the Zhongguancun area of Beijing.