(Minghui.org) In early March 2012, authorities at the Shenyang City No. 1 Prison implemented violent torture against dozens of illegally detained Falun Gong practitioners in order to “transform” them. Prison head Wang Bin, political head Liu Guoshan and deputy prison head Qiu Guobin personally directed and oversaw the carrying out of these crimes. Wang and Liu urged the prison guards to severely torture Falun Gong practitioners numerous times.

Each prison ward contains one or two practitioners. The persecution began in the wards. The guards arranged a special office with windows covered with black cloth, an iron chair to tie hands and feet, and videos slandering Falun Gong. The guards took turns persecuting practitioners. Practitioners were tied to the iron chair and deprived of food, water, sleep and bathroom use for days. They were forced to watch videos slandering Falun Gong and videos with pornographic content. Each practitioner was monitored by two prisoners, who would not allow the practitioners to close their eyes or to lower their heads. The perpetrators sprinkled water on the practitioners and shocked them with electric batons powered to tens of thousands of volts. If a practitioner fainted, they would pour cold water over his head and continue the torture. In addition, they placed heaters around the practitioner to “bake” them. After the torture, practitioners often felt dizzy, and their bodies were black and blue all over.

Prison heads Wang Bin and Liu Guoshan frequently came to the wards and demanded to know why the guards had not “transformed” the practitioners yet.

If a ward failed to “transform” a practitioner after a few days, the practitioner would be taken to the newly established “strict control” brigade, where he would suffer a new round of inhumane torture. Practitioners were individually detained in small cells, kicked and beaten, shocked with electric batons, and fed hot pepper powder. Ding Zhe, the prison education chief, directly shocked practitioners with electric batons.

Mr. Guo Chunzan, a practitioner in his 50s, was shocked with electric batons to such an extent that his whole body was covered with cuts and bruises. There were three holes resulting from burns on his right wrist. His back was also covered with huge blisters after he was burned with bags filled with boiling water.

When they could not shake the will of practitioners, some guards made phone calls to practitioners' family members and let them, including the elderly with heart problems, directly listen to their loved ones suffer from electric shocks. In this manner, the guards hoped to coerce the family members to pressure the practitioners to give up their faith.

In June 2012, some practitioners were transferred to the Shenyang City No. 1 Prison from other prisons. Four practitioners from Jinzhou were severely tortured and passed out several times due to the abuse. One practitioner was sent to the prison hospital several times in one day--hastily resuscitated and then sent back for continued persecution.

Practitioners who have been persecuted in the Shenyang City No. 1 Prison include Guo Chunzan, Zou Jiling, Wei Zhiyi, Huang Gang, Meng Hua, Che Huanyu, Sun Yongheng, Geng Chunlong, Zhang Gonghua, and Li Shangsi. Li Shangsi, in his 60s, has recently been subjected to escalated persecution, but he has held on to his faith. He is currently very thin and weak.

Some practitioners detained at this prison have been deprived of family visits for one to two years. The prison authorities threatened that no family visits would be allowed until they were “transformed.”

Officials involved in the persecution at the Shenyang City No. 1 Prison:

Wang Bin, prison head
Qiu Guobin, deputy prison head
Liu Guoshan, political head
Shi Ying, management office head
Ding Zhe, education section head