(Clearwisdom.net) About 30 Dafa practitioners have been detained in Xiangcheng City Detention Center in Henan Province since July 20, 1999. The police in the center use various appalling torture methods on them. They shock them with high voltage electric batons, put heavy torture instruments on them, force-feed them with saline solutions, hang them up to beat them, lock them in the "tiger bench" [Practitioners are forced to sit on a small iron bench that is approximately 20 cm (6 inches) tall with their knees tied together. With their hands tied behind their backs or sometimes placed on their knees, they are forced to sit straight up and look straight ahead. They are not allowed to turn their heads, close their eyes, talk to anyone or move at all. Several inmates are assigned to watch over the practitioners and force them to remain motionless while sitting on the bench. Usually some hard objects are inserted underneath the practitioners' lower legs or ankles to make it harder for them to tolerate this abuse], insert bamboo slivers into their hands [The police hammer sharp bamboo sticks into the fingers of the practitioner through the tip of the fingernails. In the process of the hammering, the fingernail will get torn off completely. As one's fingers are extremely sensitive, the hammering process causes the kind of excruciating pain that one cannot even begin to describe. The police first hammer the bamboo stick into one finger. If the practitioner still refuses to bend, the police will hammer bamboo sticks into more and more fingers until they reach all 10 fingers.], burn them under the hot sun, freeze them in winter, force them to do hard labor, deprive them of sleep, and even sexually assault female practitioners.

Several practitioners have been tortured to such an extent that they are mentally traumatized, physically disabled, unable to take care of their daily needs and are on the verge of death. Recently, Dafa practitioners kept sending righteous thoughts to eliminate evil elements and break the old force's arrangement of Dafa practitioners. On the night of April 25, 2003, five practitioners walked out of the detention center with righteous thoughts and returned to the current of Fa-rectification.

These five practitioners are Fan Yunxia, Tian Mei, Chen Huaiying, Guo Xinmei and one whose name we don't have. Xiangcheng City police are pursuing them and another practitioner, Feng Manliang, who was suspected to be related to them. The police said that they would spend two years to catch them if that's what it takes. The police have put pressure on the practitioners' family members, monitoring their activities, tapping their phones, harassing and threatening them. The police kidnapped and tortured Feng Manliang's wife and his aunt's husband attempting to get information of Manliang's whereabouts. At same time, the police arrested more practitioners who were at home.

On the afternoon of April 28, the chief of the Anti Riot Team, Chen Xinguang, and deputy chief Xia Guoqing, the head of Politics and Security Team Ma Zhefeng and others, totaling nearly 30 people, publicly kidnapped practitioners Li Songmei and Wu Xiuying. The abduction was arranged and directed by the Chief of Xiangcheng City Public Security Bureau Liu Guoqing and Deputy Chief Wang Guifeng. Practitioners Li Songmei and Wu Xiuying, who were detained for 24 hours and 48 hours respectively, walked out of the detention center with righteous thoughts.

The list of police officers involved in the persecution:

Jin Hai, Bai Yong, Liu Yuqing, Liu Yunliang, Wei Jianhua, Ai Feng, Ma Zefeng, Wu Yong, two people from Politic and Law Committee Wang Kefei and Tian Liang, etc.

Policeman Wu Yong of the detention center:

Cell phone: 86-13303878777

May 22, 2003