The Founder Of A Chinese School Has Been Jailed For Nearly Three Years After Illegally Imprisoning Youngsters To Curb Their Internet Addiction

[ Many parents use the so-called 'digital detox' rehab camps as a last resort to stem their children's dependence on the virtual world.
A CCTV report shows a finger-thick steel cable, which was said to be used by teachers in the rehabilitation institute to punish 'troublesome' students. The court did not confirm the claims
Teenagers receive 'musicotherapy' at a school in Jinan on August 22, 2010. Chinese authority has vowed to crack down on the physical abuse found at digital rehab camps in the country
Wu and the other criminals operated the Yuzhang Shuyuan Institute in south-east China's Nanchang city.
The facility charged 31,250 yuan (£3,546) for a six-month term and targeted at parents who were desperate to put a stop to their child's fixation on the web, reported state broadcaster On the promotional material, the school, a historic brand in China, billed itself as a vocational education centre that used Confucius philosophy to give 'teenagers in crisis' a chance of a better life.
Pictures posted by the school on its social media account showed students dressed in traditional Chinese uniform. They are seen reading classic literature and practising calligraphy.
But in reality, the students were subject to unlawful secret imprisonment.
Yuzhang Shuyuan Institute has been accused of using cruel punishment on students to help them overcome their addiction to the internet. The school in Nanchang, China, is a historic brand. The picture was taken by a People's Daily journalist while visiting the school in 2013
In pictures taken by media, students in the school are seen reading classic literature, practising calligraphy in class and bowing to a Confucius statue. However, a former student who was sent to the school for her web-addiction has revealed shocking details in the school
In an open trial on Tuesday, the Qingshan Lake District People's Court in Nanchang found the gang guilty of conducting unlawful detention, according to a court The judge said the defendants stripped students of their freedom between May 2013 and November 2017 by forcing the youngsters to stay at the school's 'meditation room' days on end.
Twelve students, including 11 minors, were detained in this illegal manner after they had been sent to the school by their parents, the court said. 
A self-described former student, who calls herself 'Shan Ni Ma Da Wang' (pictured), described her horrifying experience to a journalist from Beijing Times. She claimed she was beaten and locked up in a small cell for days after being taken to the school by force in 2014
A young Chinese internet addict receives an electroencephalogram check at the Beijing Military Region Central Hospital July 6, 2005, in Beijing. Many parents use the so-called 'digital detox' rehab camps as a last resort to curbing their children's fixation on the digital world
Wu, the school's founder an[ Many parents use the so-called 'digital detox' rehab camps as a last resort to stem their children's dependence on the virtual world.
A CCTV report shows a finger-thick steel cable, which was said to be used by teachers in the rehabilitation institute to punish 'troublesome' students. The court did not confirm the claims
Teenagers receive 'musicotherapy' at a school in Jinan on August 22, 2010. Chinese authority has vowed to crack down on the physical abuse found at digital rehab camps in the country
Wu and the other criminals operated the Yuzhang Shuyuan Institute in south-east China's Nanchang city.
The facility charged 31,250 yuan (£3,546) for a six-month term and targeted at parents who were desperate to put a stop to their child's fixation on the web, reported state broadcaster On the promotional material, the school, a historic brand in China, billed itself as a vocational education centre that used Confucius philosophy to give 'teenagers in crisis' a chance of a better life.
Pictures posted by the school on its social media account showed students dressed in traditional Chinese uniform. They are seen reading classic literature and practising calligraphy.
But in reality, the students were subject to unlawful secret imprisonment.
Yuzhang Shuyuan Institute has been accused of using cruel punishment on students to help them overcome their addiction to the internet. The school in Nanchang, China, is a historic brand. The picture was taken by a People's Daily journalist while visiting the school in 2013
In pictures taken by media, students in the school are seen reading classic literature, pra[ On the promotional material, the school, a historic brand in China, billed itself as a vocational education centre that used Confucius philosophy to give 'teenagers in crisis' a chance of a better life.
Pictures posted by the school on its social media account showed students dressed in traditional Chinese uniform. They are seen reading classic literature and practising calligraphy.
But in reality, the students were subject to unlawful secret imprisonment.
Yuzhang Shuyuan Institute has been accused of using cruel punishment on students to help them overcome their addiction to the internet. The school in Nanchang, China, is a historic brand. The picture was taken by a People's Daily journalist while visiting the school in 2013
In pictures taken by media, students in the school are seen reading classic literature, practising calligraphy in class and bowing to a Confucius statue. However, a former student who was sent to the school for her web-addiction has revealed shocking details in the school
In an open trial on Tuesday, the Qingshan Lake District People's Court in Nanchang found the gang guilty of conducting unlawful detention, according to a court The judge said the defendants stripped students of their freedom between May 2013 and November 2017 by forcing the youngsters to stay at the school's 'meditation room' days on end.
Twelve students, including 11 minors, were detained in this illegal manner after they had been sent to the school by their parents, the court said. 
A self-described former student, who calls herself 'Shan Ni Ma Da Wang' (pictured), described her horrifying experience to a journalist from Beijing Times. She claimed she was beaten and locked up in a small cell for days after being taken to the school by force in 2014
A young Chinese internet addict receives an electroencephalogram check at the Beijing Military Region Central Hospital July 6, 2005, in Beijing. Many parents use the so-called 'digital detox' rehab camps as a last resort to curbing their children's fixation on the digital world
Wu, the school's founder and chairman, was sentenced to two years and 10 months imprisonment.
Ren, the headmaster, was handed a prison sentence of two years and seven months.
Zhang, the security director, and Qu, an instructor, were each jailed for 22 months and 11 months.
All of them said they were considering appealing against the ruling.
Another teacher, Chen, was spared criminal punishment.][ The judge said the defendants stripped students of their freedom between May 2013 and November 2017 by forcing the youngsters to stay at the school's 'meditation room' days on end.
Twelve students, including 11 minors, were detained in this illegal manner after they had been sent to the school by their parents, the court said. 
A self-described former student, who calls herself 'Shan Ni Ma Da Wang' (pictured), described her horrifying experience to a journalist from Beijing Times. She claimed she was beaten and locked up in a small cell for days after being taken to the school by force in 2014
A young Chinese internet addict receives an electroencephalogram check at the Beijing Military Region Central Hospital July 6, 2005, in Beijing. Many parents use the so-called 'digital detox' rehab camps as a last resort to curbing their children's fixation on the digital world
Wu, the school's founder and chairman, was sentenced to two years and 10 months imprisonment.
Ren, the headmaster, was handed a prison sentence of two years and seven months.
Zhang, the security director, and Qu, an instructor, were each jailed for 22 months and 11 months.
All of them said they were considering appealing against the ruling.
Another teacher, Chen, was spared criminal punishment.]