A Canadian citizen who was held by Chinese authorities says she was tortured and forced to confess that she bribed a former top official who later becomes a critic of the government.

You Ziqi was arrested at the Beijing airport in 2014 while traveling with her son to the Hubei province. She was then allegedly detained on fraud charges. 

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You claimed Chinese authorities forced her to testify that she had bribed Xie Weidong. The Chinese government also seized You's family assets approximately worth $10 million.

Her testimony was then used to issue a red notice against Xie, who was a businessman and a former supreme court judge before immigrating to Canada two years ago. 

Both Young and Xie say that the case against them is based on false testimony. They believe that the case is being instigated by officials in the Communist party trying to cover up the plundering of You's family assets.

"I have come from inside the system. I know very well the extent of corruption and darkness there," Xie told the media.

David Matas, a lawyer who has extensive experience in the human rights field in China, said that these kinds of scenarios are a common occurrence in the country.

"They operate by attacking friends, relatives, neighbors and business associates as a way of getting the target. They drain the pool to catch the fish," Matas said.

The allegations against You dates back to 1999 when she represented her brother in a debt dispute. The case landed on Xie's desk and he ruled in You's favor.

Xie said that one of his sisters had bribery charges pinned on her by Chinese authorities to force him back.

Canada repatriates dozens of people to China each year, despites claims of human rights violations.

Tagschina, Canada, Human Rights