In May, Falun Gong practitioner Liu Xiaoming, from Changsha City, Hunan Province, was illegally arrested by the police. Ms. Liu has since gone on a hunger strike to protest against the illegal detention and persecution. Rescue efforts are urgently needed.
Liu Xiaoming was a caregiver for eighty-year-old teacher Tang Xi of the Zhongnan Forestry Technology Institution. At around 10 o’clock on May 22, Ms. Liu was in the institution’s treatment center. She was looking after Mr. Tang while Mr. Tang was hooked up to an IV. Ms. Liu took out a copy of Zhuan Falun. A staff member saw her and reported her to the authorities.
On the same morning, police from the Xinkaipu Police Station confiscated Ms. Liu's belongings from Mr. Tang’s house. They took away all of his Falun Gong books and ten copies of truth-clarification booklets and arrested Liu Xiaoming. Ms. Liu may be detained at the Changsha City Detention Center.
In early June, two policemen came to Mr. Tang’s house for a so-called "visit." They said that Ms. Liu is "very stubborn" and refused to tell them the source of her truth-clarification materials. The police said that she was on a hunger strike.
Liu Xiaoming works very hard at Tang Xi’s house and Mr. Tang had a very good impression of her. The police’s arrest of Ms. Liu and the confiscation of her belongings from Tang’s house made Mr. Tang feel very revolted.
Please find below detailed information about violations of existing Chinese laws and regulations, as well as human rights violations and torture that caused injuries and took lives.
1. Between March 10 and December 30, 2004, Practitioners Were Subjected to the Hanging Torture (1)
On March 10, 2004, practitioners Ms. Guan Suling, Ms. Gao Guizhen, Ms. Yu Xiuying, Ms. Gao Xiuzhen, Ms. Song Qing, Ms. Zhang Liping, Ms. Fan Guoxia, Ms. Liu Xuewei, Ms. Xu Jingfeng, Ms. Zhang Liwen, Ms. Meng Shuying, Ms. Li Hongxia, Ms. Wang Liwen, Ms. Chu Qingfen, Ms. Tang Hengfang, Ms. Tao Yuming, Ms. Zhang Xiaobo, Ms. Zhang Jing, Ms. Zhang Shufen and others were handcuffed behind their backs and hung on the railing of their bunk beds. Among them, Ms. Yu Xiuying, Ms. Gao Guizhen, Ms. Guan Suling, Ms. Tao Yuming, Ms. Zhang Liping and Ms. Meng Shuying were hung up until they lost consciousness. Prisoners put fast-acting heart rescue drugs into the mouths of Ms. Gao Guizhen, Ms. Guan Suling, and Ms. Yao Yuming and then hung them back up. Ms. Xu Jingfeng was subjected to this torture for longer than any other practitioner. The handcuffs cut deep into her flesh and she was unable to remove them. Prisoners in the male section were finally able to remove Ms. Xu handcuffs.
On March 10, 2004, Ms. Xu Jiayu was among those who were handcuffed with their hands behind their backs and hung by a rope so that they could still lie down and sleep. Ms. Wang Yanbo, Ms. Wang Yuqin, Ms. Yan Shuhua, Ms. Lin Yurong, and Ms. Wu Shufang were among those who were hung with their hands behind their backs in a manner that did not permit laying down to sleep.
On March 10, 2004, Ms. Wang Liwen lost consciousness twice because of being hung up. Every time she came to the evil people hung her up again. After having to suffer this torture three times, there was an egg-sized lump on her wrist.
On March 18, 2004, the prisoners handcuffed Ms. Meng Shying, Ms. Gao Guizhen, Ms. Zhang Liping, Ms. Song Qing, Ms. Li Hongxia, and Ms. Yao Yuming behind their backs and hung them up with a rope.
In 2004 Ms. Zhang Feng was tortured with the aforementioned method. She was not allowed to go to the toilet and therefore soiled her trousers.
On May 16, 2004, over 50-year-old Ms. Geng Yafen was not allowed to go to sleep. The following morning her hands were handcuffed behind her back and she was cuffed to the railing of the bed for more than three months. Other practitioners who suffered the same torture included Ms. Guan Suling, Ms. Zhang Jing, Ms. Meng Shuying, Ms. Liu Xuewei, and Ms. Liu Sufen.
On July 10, 2004, Ms. Chen Weijun was handcuffed behind her back and hung up on two bunk beds in the police office on the southern side of the sixth floor.
On December 21, 2004, Ms. Zhang Xiaobo, Ms. Guan Suling, and Ms. Zhang Jing suffered the hanging torture.
On December 29, 2004, Mr. Zhang Jing, Ms. Zhang Liping, Ms. Chen Weijun, and Ms. Guan Suling suffered the aforementioned torture.
Many practitioners had symptoms of high blood pressure from the hanging torture. Therefore, the prison authorities injected them with drugs claiming to "treat illnesses." Then these practitioners would be hung up again. Among the practitioners suffering from this torture were Ms. Meng Shuying, Ms. Yao Yuming, Ms. Zhang Liping, and Ms. Gao Guizhen.
2. Forcing Practitioners to Squat Causing Injury to Many
In the past, prison authorities counted the inmates before they arrived at their workstations. Then, some prison authorities came up with the idea to count inmates in the evening, which quickly was adopted by many prisons and camps. Everyone who answered to his or her name call had to squat. The practitioners were forced to respond to the guards who did the role call, "Thanks to our government and goodnight to our government." In recent years, we stopped saying this, so the prison guards used the roll call to further persecute practitioners.
In 2004, prisoners' tortured practitioners a number of ways, claiming that they refused to answer the roll call. Generally, the prisoner held the practitioners down, kicked and beat them, and dragged them over the floor. Those who suffered this torture included Ms. Zhang Linwen, Ms. Zhang Jing, Ms Zhang Xiaobo, Ms. Zhang Liping, Ms. Gao Guizhen, Ms. Yao Yuming, Ms. Li Hongxia, Ms. Fan Guoix, Ms. Meng Shuying, Ms. Gao Xiuzhen, Ms. Yu Xiuying, Ms. Yu Xiuying, Ms. Wang Yuqin, Ms. Song Qing, Ms. Zhang Li, Ms. Zhu Xiangqin, Ms. Xiao Shuzhen, Ms. Wang Tao, Ms. Zuo Yunxia, Ms. Yuan Zhanxu, Ms. Wang Liwen, Ms. Lin Yurong, Ms. Pan Hua, Ms. Sun Libin, Ms. Wang Yanbo, Ms. Meng Shuhua, Ms. Wu Shufang, Ms. Chu Qingfen, Ms. Liu Xuewei, Ms. Tang Hengfen, Ms. Wang Liping, Ms. Xu Jingfeng. and Ms. Guan Shuling.
On May 14, 2004, the prisoners dragged Ms. Yu Xiuying from the cell to the corridor and then punched her face until her nose was bleeding. When the Deputy Head of the prison, Liu Zhiqiang, saw this, he asked the prisoners to wash Ms. Liu with cold water and took with him the name-tag of that prisoner, claiming that he would deal with her later. He asked Ms. Yu Xiuying to lie down on the bed. However, within a short time the prisoner dragged Ms. Yu Xiuying off the bed and cuffed her with her hands behind her back to the ladder of the upper bunk bed. The handcuffs were tightened as tight as possible. While doing this, the prisoner claimed that Liu Zhiqiang had ordered her to do it. Ms. Yu was in this position for close to 40 hours. Yet, the prison authorities did not take any action against the prisoner. On May 15, the prison guards ordered the prisoners to fingerprint Ms. Yu Xiuying while she was still handcuffed.
In March 15, 2005, prisoners pulled Ms. Song Qing, Ms. Wang Yanbo, Ms. Lin Shuhua, Ms. Wang Liwen, and Ms. Li Hongxia from the top bunk to the ground. The prisoners verbally abused and beat these practitioners. The thugs dragged the practitioners down by their hair and threw them on the floor. Ms. Li Hongxia, Ms. Wang Yanbo, Ms. Lin Shuhua, and Ms. Song Qing were injured. Yet, when Ms. Wu Shufang pressed the alarm button to call the surveillance office, the guards did not respond. Instead, the on-duty guard swore at Ms. Wu Shufen in front of more than one hundred people, "If you press that button again I will chop your fingers off! I will beat you! Yes, I will beat you! Don't think that I won't beat you?"
On March 17, 2005, one prisoner seemed to lose her mind after forcing the practitioners to squat down for several days. She tore the clothes of several practitioners, pulled Ms. Yao Yuming's hair, and hit her head against the wall twice. When Ms. Yao reported the torture to Deputy Head of the Ward Xia Fengying, Xia replied, "There is a sound monitoring system on the wall. How could your head hit the wall?" The prisoner readily took the hint and instantly questioned, "Who beat you? Is there any witness?" This very prisoner entered Ms. Xu Jiayu's cell and pushed her violently to the floor. Another prisoner covered Ms. Xu's mouth and nose with her hands and almost choked Ms. Xu to death in the process. When Xia Fenying saw Ms. Xu's torn clothes, she did not ask any questions. Many practitioners suffered from similar violent mistreatment, but no one stopped the prisoners.
On March 25, 2005, Ms. Song Qing was covered with a quilt by several prisoners and could not move. Ms. Wu Shufang went to see the guards immediately. Seven or eight prisoners then surrounded Ms Wu Shufang and beat her. Fortunately, Ms. Song Qing could free herself from under the quilt and was able to breath during that time. Then the prisoners grabbed her hair and beat her up. When the guard arrived, she did not say a word, which the prisoners took as his/her consent, and beat Ms. Song Qing even harder. As a result there was blood and hair on the floor. Only when one of the prisoners suddenly suffered a heart attack did the beating stop. When Ms. Wu Shufang reported the beating to the guard, she said, "What did I see? I didn't see anything."
From April 3 to April 6, 2005, practitioner Ms. Wang Yuqin was dragged around and beaten up. They punched her left eye and pinched her legs. One of the prisoners also pressed Ms. Wang's neck with her elbow and stuffed a towel into her mouth. They also twisted Ms. Wang's arms backwards. On April 7 and 8, 2006, Ms. Wang Yuqin was handcuffed and hung to the railing of the top bunk. She could only stand up. From April 9 to 20 April she was handcuffed to a bed frame.
On April 3, Ms. Yuan Zhanxu, over 50 years old, was pulled from the bed to the ground. The prisoners grabbed her throat, pulled her arms and legs, and then threw her to the ground.
On April 3, the prisoners throttled Ms. Wang's throat and held her down. Ms. Wang, about 20 years old, suffered from heart disease and kept twitching for more than an hour. After that she had acute neck pain for quite some time and was unable to raise her head.
On April 14, 2005, the "pressing into a squat position" had evolved into "exercising squat." Under the watch of the prison guards, the prisoners repeatedly pressed the practitioners down into a squat position and then pulled them up. In the meantime the prisoners also punched and kicked the practitioners. Practitioners who suffered that torture included Ms. Yu Xiuying, Ms. Zhang Liwen, Ms. Guan Sulin, Ms. Xujiayu, Ms. Liu Xuewei, Ms. Fan Guoxia, Ms. Yao Yuming, Ms. Gao Guizhen, Ms. Gao Xiuzhen, Ms. Xu Jingfeng, Ms. Zhang Jing, Ms. Zhang Liping, Ms. Zhang Shufen, and Ms. Zhang Xiaobo.
April 14, 2005, the on-duty guard shouted, "I can strike all 14 of you." With that remark the brutal mistreatment began. Ms. Yu Xiuying was thrown to the floor and the back of her head hit the floor with a loud bang. People in the corridor all heard it. Ms. Yu had a big lump on the back of her head. She became sick and vomited. Ms. Xu Jiayu suffered injuries to her left chest, right rib, and left ankle.
Practitioners Ms. Guan Suling, Ms. Zhang Xiaobo, Ms. Zhang Jing, Ms. Zhang Liping, Ms. Yao Yuming, Ms. Fan Guoxia, Ms. Gao Guizhen, Ms. Gao Xiuzheng, Ms. Xu JIngfeng, Ms. Liu Jingfeng, Ms. Liu Xuewei, Ms. Fan Guoxia, Ms. Gao Guizhen, Ms. Gao Xiuzhen, Ms. Liu Xuewei, and Ms. Zhang Linwen suffered injuries of different severity.
On April 15, 2006, practitioners suffered from being repeatedly pushed down and pulled up, as well as punched and kicked. Ms. Fan Guoxia, Ms. Zhang Jing, and Ms. Zhang Liping were dragged to the so-called monitoring room for further torture. They were pulled by their hair and swung against the wall, or they were spun around and around by their heads. The practitioners were also slapped on the face, punched, and kicked. The prisoners were sweating all over and only then did they stop the torture that had lasted for more than an hour.
On April 20, 2005, Ms. Zhang Linwen lost consciousness because of being repeatedly thrown to the floor by the prisoners. After she came to, she was unable to walk and she could not see anything.
In December 2005, the practitioners who were pressed into a squat position and kicked by the prisoners included Ms. Yu Xiuying, Ms. Guan Suling, Ms. Fan Guoxia, Ms. Li Hongxia, Ms. Zhang Liping, Ms. Zhang Xiaobo, Ms. Song Qing, Ms. Gao Guizhen, and Ms. Liu Xuewei.
From January 9, 2006 to the present, Ms. Wang Tao, Ms. Wang Yanpo, Ms. Zuo Yunxia, Ms. Wu Shufang, Ms. Lin Shuhua, Ms. Zhang Li, Ms. Zhu Xiangqin, Ms. Xiao Shuzhen, Ms. Zhang Libin, Ms. Wang Liwen, Ms. YU Xiuying, Ms. Liu Sufen, Ms. Guan Suling, Ms. Fan Guoxia, Ms. Song Qing, Ms. Gao Xiuzhen, Ms. Zhang Xiaobo, Ms Liu Xuewen, Ms. Zhang Linwen, and Ms. Zhang Liping have been brutally mistreated without a break.
3. Using Prisoners to "Supervise" Practitioners Violates Existing Laws and Regulations
1) Prison authorities assigned four prisoners to each practitioner. They recorded in detail the practitioners' eating, drinking, and sleeping habits, as well the names of the people the practitioners contacted. In 2003, the prisoners followed the each practitioner wherever she went, including going to toilet, during working hours. This created a stressful situation for the practitioner. Whenever the inmates could not reach their work quota, they vented their anger on the practitioner. They swore and insulted the practitioner. This stressful environment had a detrimental mental and physical effect on the practitioner. Now it appears as if no one is watching the practitioners. In reality, the prisoners watch secretly.
2) On March 2, 2004, more than 30 practitioners were taken to their cells. They were then ordered to sit in the office of the prison guards. The office, a little more than 10 square feet, was crammed with practitioners sitting on small plastic stools. Generally, the practitioners had to sit for more than ten hours. Prisoners monitored all practitioners and insulted and swore at them.
In July, 2004, a room was divided into two sections. All practitioners were forced to watch television for more than ten hours a day at the eastern side of the No. 6 Building--from 6:00 a.m. until 7:30 p.m..
From March 14 to April 13, 2005, the prison authorities assigned one prisoner per practitioner. There were dozens of people in one room. If the practitioner moved a hand or foot he/she would be pressed or pushed to the ground. The prisoners even sat next to the practitioner.
During that time Ms. Fan Guoxia's private parts were injured from being kicked.
4. More Violent Mistreatment of Practitioners by Prison Authorities in 2006
On January 9, 2006, seven or eight prisoners pushed Ms. Sun Libing to the ground and then began to punch and kick her. Prisoner Li Yanping pulled Ms. Sun's hair and swung her head against the wall. Ms. Sun had a big lump on her head. The prisoner then punched Ms. Sun in the face just below her left eye, which turned purple and swelled. Ms. Sun felt dizzy and sick, and her entire body was in pain. The same day, Li Yanping pressed Ms. Wang Yanbo's chest, resulting in breathing problems. Later, Li Yanping beat Ms. Wang's legs. Ms. Wang legs were black and blue, and she felt uncomfortable and had chest pain.
On January 10, prisoner Han Jiaying dragged Ms. Xiao Shuzhen from the bed and threw her to the ground. Her head hit the door, which resulted in a big lump. The inmate forced Ms. Xiao's hands backwards and swung her head against the wall. Then she sat on top of Ms. Xiao and beat her. Prison guard Zhang Wenya witnessed everything but neither reprimanded nor stopped the inmate.
On January 11, several prisoners pressed Ms. Lin Shuhua to the ground, twisted her arms backwards and one of them asked for a rope. On January 12, Ms. Zhu Xianqin went to the hallway, resulting in verbal abuse for the entire morning. Since then, the prisoners swear at her almost everyday. Even today, they still verbally abuse her.
5. Harming Practitioners Physically and Mentally with Sound Equipment, Television, and Noise
In 2004, when the practitioners were under strict control in their cells, they were forced to watch television for more than ten hours daily. This created a stressful environment and harmed the practitioners physically and mentally. In March 2005, they even used a high decibel floor sound system, turned the volume at its highest, and put it next to practitioners' ears. The deafening noise caused the practitioners physical and mental suffering.
6. Nasal Feeding Injures Practitioners
Falun Gong practitioners were insulted and mistreated for a long time. They reported to the prison leaders at all levels, but nothing was done about it. They went on a hunger strike, asking to be released unconditionally and demanded basic human rights, but to no avail. They did not receive a response, as required under existing regulations. Instead, the prison authorities used inhuman methods to ruin the practitioners' health.
They opened practitioners' mouths with tongs and left the thongs in for one to two hours. They inserted a nasal tube into the windpipe and used a tube as thick as a little finger repeatedly, not caring about resulting infections. Beginning in January, 2006, prison guards broke the food into pieces with their bare hands, put it into a mixer, and then mixed the food with a huge amount of garlic, green onions, and hot preserved vegetables. They described this as "killing the germs." They fed this concoction to the practitioners in an effort to injure the practitioners' stomachs and intestines. The practitioners became nauseous and vomited, ruining the practitioners' health even more. Victims of this cruelty included Ms. Wang Tao, Ms. Lin Shuhua, Ms. Zuo Yunxia, Ms. Zhu Xiangqin, Ms. Zhang Linwen, Ms. Zhang Liping, and Ms. Liu Sufen. Those who suffered from forced feeding included Ms. Wang Juyan, Ms. Yu Xiulan, Ms. Zhang Jing, Ms. Zhang Wenlin, Ms. Liu Sufen, Ms. Chen Weijun, Ms. Zhang Li, and others. A few days ago, the inmates pressed Ms. Zhang Linwen down onto the bed and force fed her water.
7. Confining Practitioners in Small Cells and Torturing Them
Practitioners were often locked up into small cells for a long time because it was claimed that they "refused to obey management" or "were leaders." They were shackled to the ground and could not see the sunshine for half a year. To prevent prison inspectors from finding out, they began to issue "detention certificates," which were renewed daily. Thus, it appeared that the practitioners were locked into small cell for only a short time. Those locked in the small cell included Ms. Chen Weijun, Ms. Gao Xiuzhen, Ms. Zhang Linwen, Ms. Wang Tao, Ms. Liu Sufen, Ms. Yu Xiulan (her term of imprisonment was extended several times and she was handcuffed and shackled for a long time), Ms. Xu Jingfeng, Ms. Liu Ping, and Ms. Liu Sufen.
The practitioners would be isolated for "not obeying management" and then they were subject to individual "supervision and control" by inmates. The prison authorities also authorized the inmates to choose the torture methods. Therefore, the prisoners used all kinds of torture methods, including handcuffing and hanging. At the beginning of 2005, the inmates tortured practitioners Ms. Wang Juyan, Ms. Guan Suling, and Ms. Liu Sufen with different torture instruments. In April, the prisoners handcuffed and hung Ms. Wang Yuqin, Ms. Sun Libin, and Ms. Zhang Jing and sometimes cuffed them with two pairs of handcuffs. The practitioners who were isolated included Ms. Chen Weijun, Ms. Liu Liping, and Ms. Liu Shufen.
8. Bearing False Witness, Covering Up the Truth and Hiding Practitioners to Avoid Discovery during Inspection
In June and September 2005, when officials came to investigate the cruel torture of being hung up suffered by practitioners Ms. Zhang Jing and Ms. Song Qing, as well as setting up illegal torture room at an electrician workshop on July 30, 2003, the people involved in perpetrating these crimes lied, denied under oath, dodged, and refused to accept responsibility. They covered up the truth and even forced the victims to lie.
Whenever leaders from the outside came to inspect the prison, prison authorities hid Falun Gong practitioners and took precautions against exposure of their persecution of practitioners.
Mistreatment and violation of human rights inside the Heilongjiang Women's Prison were rampant. The aforementioned details should be sufficient to prove that violations of existing laws are ongoing. To summarize:
When inmates supervise and control others, then the inmates enjoy
the
same rights as prison guards, although they are serving a sentence.
The inmates took revenge because of personal grudges, beat and
cursed
others, sowed discord, and stirred up trouble. The prison was run by
criminals. Therefore, some prisoners committed crimes during
imprisonment, which completely changed the intent of transformation
through labor.
Forcing practitioners to wear prison uniforms and going against
regulations during head counts proves continued violations of existing
laws and regulations. On January 17, 2006, to silence Ms. Liu Shufen,
her mouth was sealed with sticky tape. This caused chaos during the
roll call in the evening.
Laws are ignored and power is above the law. The prison authorities
incited, instigated and ordered prisoners to commit physical assault or
murder. This made the prison guards accomplices in crimes.
Prison guards did not stop prisoners who violated the law and harmed other people. Monitoring systems did not work. More than a week before the general review, prison authorities did not open the monitoring system. They were therefore accomplices in crimes and the covering up of the truth. All this shows that prison leaders scheme with the prison guards to break existing laws, although they should be the enforcers of these laws. Therefore, they should be held accountable for irresponsibility, negligence, and criminal intent.
Government spokesman Qin Gang said, "The Chinese people have achieved prominent success in protecting manpower and the Chinese people enjoy full human rights and freedom in accordance with the law." (Please refer to media reports of December 12, 2005.)
We are asking, "Do Chinese people enjoy full human rights and freedom?" Authorities responsible for enforcement at Heilongjiang Women's Prison are breaking existing laws and regulations daily. Imprisoning practitioners is a violation of human rights and freedom. Also, practitioners are treated as or worse than prisoners.
We demand that the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in Heilongjiang Women's Prison be stopped immediately and request that the International Red Cross and human rights organizations come to China to investigate and bring an end to the persecution.
Appendix I:
In January, 2005, Ms. Liu Shufen was taken to the rear building to be monitored. Several prisoners tortured her and humiliated her. The prisoners could choose the torture methods, an indication that the prison authorities surrendered their authority to inmates. Therefore, prison guards broke existing laws and violated disciplinary functions. In 2005, the small cell confinement was extended and after being taken from the small cell she was monitored by a so-called "personal inmate monitor" around the clock. This was a gross violation of human rights.
At the end of 2005, Ms. Liu was transferred to the section for sick inmates, where the mental persecution became even worse. She was forbidden to close her eyes when sitting on the bed. The prisoners pressed her down and forbid her to speak. In January 2006, Ms. Liu was transferred back to the No. 1 Ward and two days later to the 5th floor. Prisoners Hou Liping, Wang Liying, Zhang Li, Jiang Yajing, and Song Yanbo told Zhang Meizheng, Mao Jia, and Liang Hongling to force Ms. Liu to wear the prison uniform and a nametag. She was made to sit on the ground from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Three inmates held her arms and legs to stop her from crossing her legs. She went on a hunger strike once again. In the evening she was dragged to the roll call. Wang Xiaodong and Zhu Xiurong, incited by Hou Liping and Jiang Yajing, punched and kicked her. They also sealed her mouth with sticky tape or put rags into her mouth. Ms. Liu Shufen and Ms.Zhang Liping were force fed with hot preserved pickles, garlic, and green onions.
The Head of the prison, Xia Fengying, ordered inmate Shang Xiaomei to persecute practitioners. One day when Ms. Zhang Liping was doing the exercises, prisoner Liu Yazhi did not stop her. However, prisoner Hou Liping reported to the Head of the Ward, Xia Fengying. Xia deducted points from Liu Yazhi on the spot. On January 17, the No. 8 Ward set up an illegal torture room and transferred 10 prisoners from No. 9 Ward to this room. They used torture instruments onpractitioners. The prison guards of No. 8 Ward covered up the windows on the eastern side of the Fifth Building with newspapers because they were afraid that other people might witness their lawless actions. The guards used prisoners to hold the practitioners down so that they could not move when they searched practitioners' beds. All this was in violation of existing law and represents neglect of duty.
Appendix II:
Report to the Hotline of Heilongjiang Prison Administrative Bureau: 86-451-6342238
Appeal:
Overseas practitioners, please forward this letter to the UN human rights organization and request that they to send it to the Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Central Committee of the CPC, the Chinese National Congress, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the Supreme Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and the Ministry of Justice.
Please directly send this letter to the Head of the Heilongjiang Prison Bureau, the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, the Governor of Heilongjiang Province, the Provincial Discipline Inspection, the Provincial High Court, the Provincial People Congress, and the Provincial Political Consultative Conference. At the same time, please call on all people who uphold justice to form a delegation to represent us at an international tribunal or to a human rights organization. Please, bring charges for the aforementioned crimes and also file charges of these crimes with the Chinese Justice Ministry.
We call on Ms. Liu Sufen's family to sue the No. 1 Prison Ward, where ill people are held, and the guards who ordered prisoners to torture her. We also call on the lawyers who uphold justice to support practitioners who are being persecuted We also ask that kind-hearted people do everything in their power to uphold justice.
Note:
(1) "Hanging Up Torture" - Both hands are cuffed behind the back and only the toes touch the ground. One is hung by a rope that is tied to the metal window frame.
I was sentenced to two years of imprisonment in 2004 for refusing to give up Falun Gong. During these two years, I was tortured by guards and prisoners assigned to monitor me, and I also witnessed how other Falun Gong practitioners were tortured in Hulan Prison, Heilongjiang Province.
On September 20, 2004, seven fellow practitioners and I were transferred from Heilongjiang Province Xingjian Prison to Hulan Prison. Guards tried to force us write the Four Statements (1). Guard Xu Wenlong (male) incited prisoner He Yan (male) and other prisoners to cruelly beat practitioner Mr. Liu Zhigui and I. They forced us to lie on the floor with our faces touching the ground and put comforters over our heads. Two prisoners held our legs, one prisoner sat on our backs, one prisoner stood in front holding down our heads, and then our arms were pulled backward, causing our arms to be damaged so badly that we couldn't use them for over a month.
On December 22, 2005, Second Section Head Xu Zhiming (male) and CCP Secretary Li You (male) of the Seventh Ward instructed prisoners Yu Tao (male) and Guo Changshun (male) to brutally beat practitioner Mr. Gao Yanhai. They tried to force him write the Four Statements, subjected him to sleep deprivation, pierced his body with needles, stripped him, poured cold water on him from head to toe, and then opened the window to let him freeze in December.
On February 20, 2006, practitioner Mr. Wang Hongbin did the exercises during the night and was reported by the prisoner monitors to Li You, who ordered prisoners Zhang Yuyan, Yu Tao, Guo Changshun, Liu San, and Zhangjun (all male) to cruelly beat Mr. Wang Hongbin.
At the end of May 2006, Li You and Xu Zhiming also ordered prisoners to torture Falun Gong practitioners Mr. Gao Yanhai, Mr. Wang Hongbin and two other newly arrived practitioners for several days continuously.
Over the past several years, thugs in the Seventh Ward who have actively participated in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners include Warden Gong Xuguang (male), CCP Director Zhang Xiaoping (male), First Section CCP Secretary Xu Dong (male), Second Section Head Xu Zhiming (male) and CCP Secretary Li You (male), and others. There are fifteen wards in Hulan Prison.
(1) "Four Statements": Practitioners are coerced under brainwashing and torture to write the "four statements" as proof that they have given up their belief. Created by the 610 Office, they consist of "a letter of repentance," "a guarantee" to never again practice Falun Gong, a "Dissociation Statement" to declare a dissociation with Falun Gong and promise not go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, and a list of names and addresses of all family members, friends and acquaintances who are practitioners.
I am a peasant from Huailai County, Hebei Province. Because I practice Falun Gong, I was illegally detained and beaten by Li Chunbo, an official of the 610 Office, and Sun Yugui, superintendent of the police station from Xibali Township. They also illegally detained my daughter and wife, both of whom do not practice Falun Gong. Since then they have continually terrorized my family.
On May 24, 2003, I went to a neighboring village to distribute truth-clarifying materials. A thug saw what I was doing, beat me, and took me to the village committee. They then called Sun Yugui, the superintendent of the police station, and Li Chunbo from the political committee of the "610 Office." Later they drove me to the township police station and interrogated me, but I did not answer any of their questions. I told them about the staged Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident and the facts about Falun Gong. They knew me, so they went to ransack my home. They confiscated my Falun Gong books and exercises tapes, and demanded that I sign my name. Then, they beat me and handcuffed me to the poplar tree in the yard. The following day, they interrogated me again. I refused to answer. Then they assaulted me using all kinds of torture equipment. All the people in the police station and the "610 Office" took turns beating me by using a hand-dial telephone while saying, "We don’t believe that you will not tell. We have ways to punish you. Even though you are tough, we will take our time to punish you. Eventually you will confess."
They then connected the hand-dial telephone wires to a metal bed and handcuffed me on the bed. I asked Teacher to give me strength when I could not endure the pain any more and let them stop rocking the telephone. Suddenly, when they rocked the telephone, I did not feel any pain. Later, the telephone was broken. They could not fix it and had to give up. They began to use another way to torture me by handcuffing both of my hands to the bed with both of my legs knelt and tied up on the chair.
On the afternoon of May 26, they sent me to a detention center, where I clarified the truth to the criminals.
On July 4, they sent me to Gaoyang Forced Labor Camp and illegally sentenced me to one and a half years. Special Group Deputy Leader Yang Zemin, Squadron Leader Liang Baoke, Wang Zhitai and Wang Guoyou attempted to force me to give up my practice. I refused. Ten days later, the perpatrators and the inmates took me to the telecommunication stand in the garden. They had already prepared two iron circles and handcuffed both of my hands. Then they shocked me with high-pressure electric baton from my head to my feet. After Liang finished using the electric baton, the squadron leader began to interrogate me and then they shocked me again. They said they would continue shocking me until I gave up my belief. Then instructor Li interrogated me again, followed by the electric baton shocking. I could not endure that any more and wrote the "transformation" letter against my will. I felt extremely sad and felt that I let Teacher and Falun Gong down. Later, I and other practitioners wrote solemn statements and handed them over to Liang Baoke.
When my sentence was over I was released. My family told me that three days after I was taken away, the police station deceived my son and daughter (my daughter does not practice Falun Gong) to send our registered permanent resident records and ID cards to the township police station and sign their names. They were asked to leave the registered permanent resident records there and demanded money. They told my son to go home and get the money. They detained my daughter, saying that if they let her go home, my son might not pay. My daughter asked them why they detained her and told them that she had human rights and personal freedom. They told her to wait but later sent her home. However, they picked up my wife instead. My daughter tried to stop them and was taken to the police station, too. They asked my wife to write a guarantee statement. They detained my wife and my daughter for one night and day and later released them.
Afterwards, the police often went to my home to harass us and demand money. If we did not have money, they would take belongings such as tricycles, motorcycles, or corn. My family members are so scared that they have left home and are hiding in different places to avoid continued persecution.
Ms. Zhuang Aiping is a Falun Gong practitioner in Weifang City, Shandong Province who was unlawfully incarcerated for four months at the Weifang Detention Center. Her family members went to see her for the first time on June 12, 2006. According to her family member, she suffered from torture-induced mental trauma and was very weak. When her family members visited her, she had some medicine in her hand. Her family asked her, "Are you taking some medicine?" Ms. Zhuang replied, "The policemen gave me the medicine." Her family then asked her, "Have they beat you?" She kept silent and said only, "They sent me to the Jinan Prison. I was checked out to have heart problems, so the prison refused to accept me. I then was sent back here."
On February 7, 2006, policemen illegally arrested Ms. Zhuang in the Weicheng District while she was clarifying the truth about Falun Gong and was then taken to a detention center. She held a hunger strike to protest the persecution. The guards brutally force-fed her.
Ms. Zhuang was very weak after a week’s hunger strike. She smelled badly since she was not allowed to shower. Policemen thus made her sleep on the floor. They also ordered criminals to take Ms. Zhuang out on a blanket to be baked under the sun, to supposedly "get rid of the smell."
Several days ago, Ms. Zhuang’s daughter went to the Hanting Court to get the sentencing statement, but the judge refused to hand it over.
The guards in Wangcun Women's Forced Labor Camp aggressively torture the persistent practitioner inmates. They don't allow the practitioners to sleep or to use the toilet. The practitioners have to labor from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., except for mealtime, and they always have to work overtime.
Details about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in Wangcun Forced Labor Camp:
1. Ms. Wang Chuanlian, 28 years old, was born in Mouping, Yantai City. She was illegally sentenced to forced labor in April 2004. She didn't give up her belief when she was detained in the Fourth Branch of the camp. Her legs were separated with a chair, and her hands were tied to a bed, causing her extreme pain. She went on a hunger strike. Police doctor Ma force fed her. Ma repeatedly inserted and withdrew a feeding tube into her stomach. Ms. Wang was transferred to the Third Branch in June 2005. She didn't give up her belief and was forced to work till 1 a.m. every day. She wasn’t allowed to take a rest at lunchtime. After two months of unbearable torture, she was sent to the hospital for a checkup. The doctor said she either had a neck problem or she may have worked too hard. Actually, it was the result of being hung up.
2. Ms. Yang Wenjie, 44, was born in Zhaoyuan, Yantai City. She was sentenced to the labor camp for three years in 2001. She persistently practiced Falun Gong, so she was sent to an education class to be brainwashed for eight months by the Zhaoyuan 610 Office. She was again sentenced to forced labor in October 2005 and has been detained in the Wangcun guardhouse.
3. Ms. Shan Ruilian, 60 years old, was born in Weihai. She was transferred to the Third Branch (intensive educating branch) from the Fourth Branch in June 2005. She was forced to labor from 5:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. In order to reduce her need to use the toilet, the guards give her only one steamed bun every day (about 1.5 ounces). Because she didn't give up her belief, she was detained in the guardhouse.
4. Ms. Song Guixiang, 50, was born in Weifang. She was "transformed" but later on declared her previous actions to be void. She was hung up on a window and not allowed to sleep.
5. Ms. Song Yun, more than 30 years old, was born in Qingdao. She was tortured in Qingdao Detention Center to the point that she had difficulty walking. Because she didn't give up her belief, she was not allowed to sleep for several days. Guard Ding Haiying also beat her, causing her nose to bleed.
6. Ms. Tian Xiulan, 54 years old, was born in Qingdao. She was not allowed to sleep for several days. Her legs and feet swelled and she could not wear shoes. Other practitioners gave her another pair of larger shoes, but the guards didn't allow her to wear them. She had to cut up the new shoes with scissors.
7. Ms. Shan Jihua, 48 years old, was born in Gaomi. When her daughter died in an accident, the labor camp police only allowed her to return home for one day, and ordered police officer Li Xi to monitor her outside her house. The labor camp also extorted 500 yuan from her.
8. Ms. Yu Xiuhua, 50, was sentenced to forced labor. She went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution. She was forcibly "transformed" but later on declared her previous action null and void. She was not allowed to sleep for three days and nights.
9. Ms. Qiu Hongmei is more than 30 years old. She was forcibly "transformed" but later on retracted her statements. She was hung up and beaten, but she still shouted, "Falun Dafa is good." The guards put a rag in her mouth and sealed her mouth with tape. One of her teeth was knocked out.
10. Ms. Tang Xiumei is around 40 years old. Because she didn't give up her belief, she was tortured until she became mentally disordered.
11. Ms. Wang Yuzhen, over 40 years old, was born in Rushan. In order to "transform" her, the police hung her up from a radiator pipe. She became mentally disordered and lost control of her bodily functions. She was later released.
12. Ms. Wang Lingling, 19, was born in Rongcheng. In order to "transform" her, the police hung her up with handcuffs which made scars on her wrists. After one year, her mind snapped. She could only eat one or two steamed buns; she neither worked nor spoke. She became so thin that she was only skin and bones.
13. Ms. Jiu Ruilian, 47 years old, was beaten up by guard Li Xi. Then Li Xi sealed her mouth with a towel and beat her mouth. Her mouth swelled and she almost died. Afterwards, the guards didn't accept the responsibility for what they did.
14. Ms. Lu Xuexing, 67 years old, was born in Weifang. She was sentenced to the labor camp in 2001. She went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution. She was released because of her bad health. She was entenced to the labor camp again in December 2004. She was force fed more than a dozen times.
15. Ms. Sun Yongling, 44 years old, persisted in practicing Falun Gong. She was hung up and tortured on the fourth floor by guard Wang Yonghong.