Story of torture is 'fake'

Chinese authorities have refuted foreign media reports that a Chinese lawyer had been tortured in police detention, saying that these allegations were fabricated to tarnish China's image.

Xie Yang, a lawyer in Hunan province, was probed on suspicion of subversion and disrupting court order in July 2015. He then began living under surveillance and legal proceedings began in January, according to a report by Global Times on Wednesday.

However, since October, many foreign media organizations have reported that Xie was tortured by police in detention, including beatings and lengthy interrogations. But these allegations were made up by another Beijing lawyer, Jiang Tianyong, Global Times reported.