(Beijing) – Ten operators of "black jails" have been convicted in a Beijing court over illegal detention and received up to two years in prison, signaling a long-delayed protection of petitioners' safety in the capital.

A court in Chaoyang District announced on February 5 that Wang Gaowei, a 43-year-old farmer from Henan Province, and six people he hired to run a center that illegally detained petitioners received one to two years in jail. Another three employees of Wang, who are under 18 years old, were ordered to compensate petitioners in a separate civil case.