(Minghui.org)
Summary of Key Persecution Facts
Name: Shi Guoliang (石国良)
Gender: Male
Age: 37
Address: Jijia Village, Jiutai City, Jilin Province (吉林省九台市纪家村)
Occupation: Farmer
Date of Most Recent Arrest: May, 2007
Most Recent Place of Detention: Shilingzi Prison (吉林省四平市石岭子监狱)
City: Siping
Province: Jilin
Persecution Suffered: Detention, illegal sentencing, imprisonment, forced labor, severe beatings, torture, electric shock
When the mother of Falun Gong practitioner Shi Guoliang recently visited her son in prison, she was distressed to see that he could not walk or take care of himself.
Mr. Shi, 37, has been imprisoned at the Shilingzi Prison in Siping City for almost five years. He is currently hospitalized in the prison hospital, as he is in critical condition due to prolonged torture and abuse.
Mr. Shi's mother appealed to the Jilin Province Prison Administration Bureau to investigate her son’s mistreatment in the prison. However, the bureau denied that prison staff had brutally tortured, beat and persecuted her son.
The bureau furthermore twisted the facts, claiming that Mr. Shi had hit his head on the frame of a TV holder because he was suicidal, instead of as a result of being viciously beaten by prisoners, incited by the guards. They also claimed that Mr. Shi had bitten his tongue as “self-mutilation,” instead of during a convulsion while being electrically shocked with a baton.
Mr. Shi's mother is calling on the kind people of the world to help rescue her son.
Beaten and Tortured for His Faith
Mr. Shi was illegally arrested for his belief in Falun Gong in May 2007. Officers from the Nanguan District Police Station in Changchun City made the arrest.
Mr. Shi was initially detained at the Third Detention Center in Changchun. On April 29, 2008, he was sentenced to nine years in prison by the Nanguan District Court. He was then imprisoned at Ward No. 2, Division No. 10 of the Shilingzi Prison in Siping City, Jilin Province.
Because Mr. Shi refused to give up his belief, prison guards incited inmates to brutally torture him. Guard Zhao Jianping (now at Division No. 8) was among those who often incited criminal inmates to torture Mr. Shi.
As a result of the abuse, Mr. Shi developed myocarditis and chest effusion. The prison doctor also said that he needed thoracotomy surgery.
Even in critical condition, Mr. Shi was still forced to do slave labor. However, he could not do the assigned work. The guards would not recognize his poor health and accused him of not working hard enough.
Guard Wang Hexun brutally beat him and also incited prisoners Yu Yongfu and Jiang Changwei to do so as well, until Mr. Shi fell to the floor. Quite a few people witnessed the abuse. Around 4 or 5 p.m. that day, Mr. Shi lost consciousness and was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment.
Even though his pleural effusion was not completely healed, the prison police forced him to leave the hospital. The medicine the guards gave him in the prison on a daily basis did not work. The guards also forced him to sit on a small stool for prolonged periods of time as a form of torture, disregarding his poor health. Guards Wang Hexun and Zhou Jijia often brutally beat him.
On one occasion, prisoners Yuan Youzhi and Di Shaoquan surrounded Mr. Shi and beat him viciously. One grabbed his neck and the other grabbed his testicles and asked if he still wanted to practice Falun Gong.
Having his testicles grabbed was extremely painful. Mr. Shi struggled to get free and in the process hit his head on the frame of the overhead TV holders. His head started to bleed immediately. Guard Zhao Jianping was present but did not stop the beating. Only when he saw that the bleeding did not stop did he escort Mr. Shi to the prison hospital for medical attention. He then shackled Mr. Shi to the bed for over two weeks.
Later, guard Zhao Jianping lied to Mr. Shi's family, saying that Mr. Shi was suicidal. As Mr. Shi refused to sign the so-called three statements to give up his belief in Falun Gong, the guards continued to frequently torture him.
In July 2010, Mr. Shi's mother went to visit her son in prison and saw that his hands trembled while holding the phone.
In April 2011, the prison sent Mr. Shi's family a medical parole notice and asked them to contact the local police station for medical parole procedures. The notification letter clearly stated that Mr. Shi had pleural effusion and could no longer be imprisoned.
His family went to the Jijia Town Police Station in Jiutai City, Jilin Province, for the medical parole signatures, but the head of the police station, Zhang Hai, refused to sign the letter, causing Mr. Shi to remain imprisoned.
Beaten and Shocked with Electric Batons
On the morning of July 6, 2012, warden Zhou Jijia of Division No. 11 led prison guards Li Jun and Li Cheng, as well as prisoners Yan Dequan and Zheng Wei, to take Mr. Shi to the administration office. At that time, other prisoners were doing forced labor and there was no monitoring device in the office.
Guard Li Jun handcuffed Mr. Shi and prisoners Yan Dequan and Zheng Wei pushed him to the ground and stepped on him. Guard Li Cheng then used an electric baton to shock Mr. Shi on the neck and back. Zhou Jijia watched from the side.
To intensify the electric shock, Zheng Wei poured cold water on Mr. Shi before using the electric baton. Mr. Shi quickly lost consciousness. During the electric shock, his whole body convulsed and he almost bit off his tongue.
Torture Re-enactment: Electric Shock
Prison authorities did not seek medical treatment for Mr. Shi following the incident, and prisoner Zheng Wei beat him again around 11 a.m. Later, Mr. Shi was finally sent to the prison hospital, where he was hospitalized for two weeks.
As a result of the injuries, Mr. Shi largely lost his ability to speak. It was also very difficult for him to eat, and he often bit his tongue while eating. He became very weak and his health deteriorated even further.
His family were very worried upon visiting him. They saw that he could not walk and had to be supported by others. He also could not take care of himself. The family questioned the prison authorities but got no answers.
The family requested Mr. Shi's release for medical treatment many times. The prison education section head Zhou Jijia promised that he would handle the processing of Mr. Shi’s medical parole. However, instead he always found excuses not to release Mr. Shi. He then advised the family to find some powerful officials to help them secure Mr. Shi's release.
On March 10, 2013, Mr. Shi was tortured again when he did not complete forced labor due to his weak condition. A young prison guard slapped his face, pushed him and beat him, which caused Mr. Shi to have a heart attack. His hands shook badly.
Mr. Shi is extremely weak and is currently hospitalized at the prison hospital. His family plans to sue the prison.
Individuals Involved in the Persecution:
Li Guojun, warden of Shilingzi Prison in Siping, Jilin Province
Li Jun, officer in charge of “transformation” of Falun Gong practitioners
Zhou Jijia, Division No. 11 warden
Wang Yanji, deputy warden
Liu Hongda, education section head
Liu Zhaohui, forced labor officer
Li Cheng, prison guard
Wang Hexun, prison guard
Zhang Hai, chief of Jijia Town Police Station in Jiutai City, Jilin Province
