remain the province of internal law, as the Convention did not and could not stipulate what they should be. It had been indicated that the penalty was three years' imprisonment: that did not appear to show that torture was regarded as particularly serious, and the Committee also lacked a clear frame of reference to indicate how seriously torture was viewed in relative terms. It had been said that due obedience was not regarded as an excuse; he wished to know the relevant provision. 32. With reference to article 15 of the Convention, it had been stated that under article 12 of the Criminal Code it was not permitted to extract confessions. That did not, however, answer the question whether any confession so extracted could be accepted as valid evidence. Under the Convention, it should not. 33. He requested additional information on legal texts explaining which constitutional principles were applied in criminal law, with particular reference to the presumption of innocence and the principles of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Additional information about the organization of the judiciary would give the Committee a better idea of how impartial and independent the courts were. The Committee would also CAT/C/SR.Sl page 9 wish to know of any legislation which in its application might facilitate torture. For example, it was an offence to engage in counter-revolutionary propaganda or insult the army; in his view, provisions of that kind were open to considerable abuse, although that was not the spirit of Chinese legislation or the intention of the Chinese Government. The Committee would also like to know about the procedures applied for certain offences. Reference had been made to people's tribunals and to special, accelerated procedures. How did those work? 34. He felt that the legislation relating to pre-trial detention could 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the implementation of human rights conventions and international law in China, specifically in relation to the prohibition of torture. The Committee is seeking clarification on various aspects of Chinese law and procedure, including the definition of torture, the admissibility of confessions, and the organization of the judiciary. This suggests that the text is related to human rights and the rule of law, rather than any of the other categories.

**Category**
Humanitarian aid and relief, Human rights