(Minghui.org) Mr. Zhang Guangzhao, 69, was illegally sentenced to forced labor on September 28, 2011, for his belief in Falun Gong. He was sent to Changchun Fenjin Forced Labor Camp to serve a term of one and a half years. His release date was scheduled to be March 14, but displaying a blatant disregard for the law, labor camp officials have refused to release him.
Mr. Zhang's family came to the labor camp on March 14 to take him home. To their surprise, labor camp officials informed them that Mr. Zhang would not yet be released because the time he had spent on a hunger strike or in solitary confinement was not counted as part of his served time. Mr. Zhang is still being detained at the labor camp.
Summary of Key Facts
Name: Zhang Guangzhao (张广兆)
Gender: Male
Age: 69
Address: Jiaohe City, Jilin Province
Occupation:Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: September 13, 2011
Most Recent Place of Detention: Changchun Fenjin Forced Labor Camp (长春奋进劳教所)
City: Changchun
Province: Jilin
Persecution Suffered: Detention, illegal sentencing, imprisonment, denial of restroom use, electric shock torture, brainwashing, beatings, solitary confinement, force-feeding, physical restraint, confined to a mental hospital as a form of torture
Key Persecutors: He Jianxin (何建新), Ma Yuntao (马云涛), and Liu Shurong (刘淑荣)
Prolonged Abuse in Labor Camp
Mr. Zhang refused to shed his faith while in the labor camp. On February 25, 2012, he persisted in doing the Falun Gong exercises, demonstrating his steadfast belief in the spiritual practice despite the persecution. In retaliation, He Jianxin, chief of Division No. 2, confined him in a small iron cage.
Mr. Zhang was detained in the cage for seven days. He was forced to sit on an iron chair torture device while in the small cage. Each of his hands was handcuffed at the side, rendering him unable to stand up or move. Due to remaining in one position without much blood circulation for a prolonged period of time, his buttocks became extremely numb and he developed extreme pain.
Mr. Zhang had no choice but to ask permission to use the restroom. Guard Ma Yuntao refused to grant him this basic right and instead shocked him with an electric baton.
Mr. Zhang held a hunger strike to protest the persecution on July 20, 2012, and was brutally force-fed with a salt solution as a result. He was subsequently put into a small cell.
When Mr. Zhang was released from the small cell six days later, he was very emaciated. His hands and feet frequently became numb due to poor blood circulation. The labor camp physician claimed it was due to a lack of nutrition. Labor camp officials refused to release Mr. Zhang on medical parole.
The Jilin Province 610 Office sent four agents to the labor camp to help “transform” Falun Gong practitioners between mid-October and late December 2012. One of these agents, Liu Shurong, was assigned to speak with Mr. Zhang. She defamed Falun Gong and slapped and kicked Mr. Zhang when he disagreed with her slanderous comments.
When Mr. Zhang shouted for help, informing those nearby that he was being beaten, Liu purposely fell to the ground and then claimed that Mr. Zhang had beaten her.
Mr. Zhang is a resident of Jiaohe City, Jilin Province. He continues to be held against his will in the Changchun Fenjin Forced Labor Camp. His family is very worried about his safety and well-being.
