On March 1, 2001, Dafa practitioners Chen Dewen, He Fenghua, Liu Jinwang, and Li Xuemin were illegally detained by the authorities for practicing Falun Gong. Because they had done nothing wrong, they would not acknowledge the legitimacy of their captivity by wearing the jail uniforms, and so they were tortured with electric batons by guards at the Management and Education section of the Huludao City Reform School. The four practitioners held a hunger strike the same night to protest their persecution and ask for their unconditional release. On March 6, the guards took the four practitioners to the Service section on the third floor and force-fed them. As a result of being force-fed with a highly concentrated salt solution, 58 year old Chen Dewen was in critical condition by the evening of March 10. On the morning of March 11, Chen was carried out of the building over the shoulder of Qin Hongli, a security guard, and put in a vehicle by the main entrance. He was then sent to a hospital, where he passed away.