Prisoners from Tibet have reportedly been dying in custody

"The allegations that China has systematic and large scale torture is totally groundless," spokesman Zhu Bangzao said.

In a report released on Monday, the London-based human rights organisation had said a growing number of Chinese officials were resorting to extreme violence against inmates in a range of institutions, from police stations to drug rehabilitation centres.

Among the victims are members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement and Muslim separatists in the far western region of Xinjiang.

What is particularly horrifying about torture in China is that much of it is committed in broad daylight

Amnesty International

Amnesty says the government's commitment to curbing torture has often been undermined by its own directives to use every means in anti-corruption campaigns and political crackdowns.

The report also says that although Chinese journalists are playing a growing role in exposing abuses, they would never report torture of political dissidents.

Abuses growing

"What is particularly horrifying about torture in China is that much of it is committed by officials in broad daylight to instil fear and discipline," said an Amnesty spokesman.

Officials have come down hard on Falun Gong members

He told BBC News Online: "The fact that torture is often not even hidden in China shows that these officials commit these crimes with total impunity."

According to the report, the range of officials resorting to torture is expanding, as is the circle of victims.

"In China, the trend is toward a widening of the scope of torture to include state-sponsored blackmail, collection of tax and the enforcement of fines," said the spokesman.

And although the Chinese Government has said it is committed to fighting torture, the report says investigations rarely bring perpetrators to justice and official denials are readily accepted.

Persecution

Amnesty says China is widening the scope of torture

Amnesty also says bogus psychiatric hospitalisation is often used to suppress dissent.

The report makes recommendations to the Chinese authorities to improve human rights, including banning torture, and excluding from courts all evidence extracted under torture.

Amnesty also urges an end to incommunicado and arbitrary detention, ensuring detainees access to lawyers, families and medical treatment, and instituting an effective complaints mechanism.