Retired Official, Huang Lilan, Tortured in A Mental Hospital

Haung Lilan, female, is a sixty-eight year old retired official from the Bureau of Meteorology, Guangdong Province. She is an honest person who abides by the law and behaves herself in all aspects of her life. Because she practiced Falun Gong, however, a group of plain-cloth police officers broke into her home on October 11, 2000 to take her to the local police department. Thinking the police would follow the correct legal procedure to arrest her, Huang asked the police to show their identification. The police, however, said they had nothing to show her. Instead, they forced her down the stairs and pushed her into a police vehicle waiting for them. Huang Lilan was sent to a mental hospital in the Baiyun District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province. During the course of her arrest, however, there was no one else present except for a guest staying in her house. The police, thus, sent her to a mental institution without informing her family members first. In order to keep the news from the public, the police detained Huang's houseguest in a place near the Luogang Station, Guangzhou City, and the guest was forced to pay 600 RMB Yuan (approx. $75) to be released. Police told the hospital officials that Huang's personality became extremely abnormal after she began practicing Falun Gong. She was sent there, they said, for disturbing the stability of society. Huang Lilan was badly tortured in the mental hospital. Her first day in the hospital, Huang was tied in a chair for the whole afternoon. She was also given injections of medication. The hospital began to give her large amounts of medicine twice a day. Huang said the medicine made her constantly sleepy at the beginning, and she felt dazed. After the injections, Huang's appearance began to deteriorate. As the injections continued, the side effects became stronger and stronger; her mouth was dry and had very little saliva. To keep her mouth wet, she drank large amounts of water that caused her abdomen to swell. Even then, Huang's mouth was still too dry. Because of the large amount of water she was drinking, Huang would have to use the restroom frequently throughout the night. In addition, Huang began to develop insomnia. She understood that she could die and the public would never know the truth. Huang's working place talked with the local police department, and with their help, Huang was able to go home. At that time, she had been in the hospital for three months. Huang was sent to the mental hospital without any diagnosis, it was the police that forced her to go there. The police searched Huang's home at will, taking any paper with the three characters of Falun Gong written on it. They also associated Huang's telephone and yellow clothes with Falun Gong, so they took these as well. These examples show the true situation of China's human rights and legal system. The first section of the Guangzhou Dongshan Police Substation confiscated Huang's private property. Those responsible are Xu Jubo and Fang Guohui. Huang Lilan, a kind-hearted old woman, has asked people to reveal her experience to the International Human Rights Organization and to the International Court so that they can bring charges against the Chinese government for criminal behavior and for a violation of human rights. Practitioners from Mainland China March 24, 2001