China's opaque justice system has long been criticised over the disappearance of defendants, the targeting of dissidents and regularly forcing confessions through torture.

The latest report by the Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) group examined the cases of 209 prisoners between 2016 and 2025 who alleged they were tortured and ill-treated while in detention in China, despite legal prohibitions on such practices.

Prisoners of conscience were particularly targeted, according to the findings.

A fifth of the prisoners said they had been beaten, while 15 percent said they were tortured as a way to force their confessions.

Thirty-five percent of prisoners interviewed by the CHRD said they were deprived of adequate medical care, with 16 dying behind bars as a result.

Jailed petitioner Yin Dengzhen, a former vegetable seller serving a four-and-a-half-year sentence for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" was denied release on medical grounds despite being unable to eat or walk normally, her daughter Xia Beibei told AFP.

The 58-year-old, who sought repeatedly to expose local corruption, has lymphoma and was hospitalised after dropping to just over 35 kilograms (80 pounds) in temporary detention while awaiting sentencing in central China's Hubei, according to Xia.

But authorities said a medical exam conducted after Yin's sentencing found she was "in good health", according to her daughter, and thus fit to be transferred to a women's prison in Wuhan.

"What I find most unacceptable is that even when my mother was critically ill and possibly facing death at any moment, authorities... maliciously concealed my mother's condition and said she had no serious diseases," Xia said.

In the months before her sentencing Yin was very pessimistic, said Xia, who communicated with her mother through a lawyer.

"She believed authorities' reasoning for putting her in jail was to let her die there," Xia said.

- 'Swept under the rug' -

Prisoners also alleged in the report that they were deprived of sleep, food and water, subjected to freezing temperatures and electric shocks, locked in iron cages and hung by the wrists.

Cases of torture were documented by the CHRD in every province and special administrative region of China except for Macau.

Chinese law states that torture and using violence to force confessions are punishable by up to three years in prison -- with more serious punishment if the torture causes injuries or the death of the victim.

Beijing is also a signatory of the UN Convention against Torture but has long been accused of failing to implement and enforce laws and regulations to eradicate the abuse.

"Torture persists because Chinese authorities typically refuse to investigate and prosecute allegations made by prisoners of conscience. In some cases, complaints lead to further punishment," the report said.

The report -- "Swept Under the Rug: Systemic Failures to End Torture in the People's Republic of China" -- found no evidence suggesting prosecutions or disciplinary actions for those responsible.

Beijing's ministry of foreign affairs told AFP that "China's judicial authorities handle cases strictly in accordance with the law and fully ensure the legal rights of all parties".

The ministry said the CHRD was "consistently filled with prejudice against China" and that the group "fabricates various lies".

Beijing has historically rejected allegations of torture brought against it by the UN, rights groups and individuals.

But in 2025, its top prosecutor issued a rare admission that torture and unlawful detention do take place in the country, vowing to crack down on illegal practices by law enforcement officials.

Nonetheless, the CHRD concluded that "Beijing is increasingly belligerent in rejecting allegations of torture... and thwarts international accountability efforts".

"This combative approach weakens the domestic legal system and allows torture to flourish," it said.