(Minghui.org) Zhao Hongxiang, deputy head of the Mancheng County Police Department in Hebei Province, brutally persecuted local Falun Gong practitioners. He used the persecution as a ladder to advance his career.
Zhao worked at the Mancheng County Detention Center from 1999 to 2007. There, along with agents from Mancheng 610 Office and Domestic Security Division, he participated in torturing practitioners. He suffered a stroke in 2007 and passed away in March 2013.
At the Mancheng County Detention Center he either personally tortured practitioners or ordered Jia Ruiqin and Li Gengtian to carry it out. The various tortures he implemented included hanging up practitioners by handcuffs, confining them to an iron cage, severely beating them and force-feeding them.
Select Cases of Abuse
After practitioner Mr. Wang Bingyi was illegally arrested, police ransacked his home and sent him to the Lingxi Police Station. There, officers used torture to coerce a guarantee statement from him. Zhao ordered the officers to beat Mr. Wang, handcuff him and hang him up, and kick him. Afterward, Mr. Wang could no longer walk.
Zhao also ordered guards and inmates to confine practitioners Ms. Ye Xiujuan and Mr. Liu Dongxue in small iron cages. Zhao set the cages outside, exposing both practitioners to the summer sun for extended periods of time. In addition, Zhao ordered the guards to roll the iron cage where Mr. Liu was confined.
In order to force Mr. Liu to renounce his belief, Zhao, Jia Ruiqin and Li Gengtian force-fed him with excrement and urine. They also brought in a snake to bite him. They then spread rumors that Falun Gong had caused Mr. Liu to go crazy and eat human excrement.
When Mr. Liu went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution, Zhao ordered Jia Ruiqin to force-feed him and had inmates scrape him on the ground until his skin was covered with lacerations. Mr. Liu was abused this way for five months. His weight dropped from 165 to about 80 pounds as a result. Seeing that Mr. Liu was in critical condition, Zhao had him transferred to Jizhong Prison in Hebei Province to avoid taking responsibility. Mr. Liu passed away in June 2001.
Zhao also tortured practitioners Ms. Zhao Yuzhi, Ms. Zhai Shutian, Mr. Zhao Zhiyun and Mr. Liu Dongxue. They were placed in fetters and handcuffs. A one-foot-long iron rod was placed between their feet, and a one-foot-long chain connected the fetter and handcuffs. As a result, the practitioners were unable to stand straight or sit down. They were not allowed to eat and could not use the restroom without someone’s help. This type of torture often renders victims permanently disabled. Zhao further humiliated these practitioners by parading them around the prison block.
In May 2001, Zhao severely beat practitioner Ms. Ren Jinhui on her legs and buttocks until she couldn’t breathe. Zhao also slapped practitioner Ms. Zhai Shutian in the face so violently that she fell down. He then pulled her up and continued slapping her. Her face became swollen beyond recognition.
Zhao also ordered guards to torture 53-year-old practitioner Ms. Wang Jinling. Ms. Wang passed away in July 2002 as a result of the abuse. Before she was cremated, her family noticed that her body was covered with bruises, and her mouth was black due to having been shocked by electric batons.
Practitioners tried to stop Zhao from committing crimes against humanity by compassionately explaining to him the facts about Falun Gong while withstanding persecution. However, he refused to listen and was only concerned about advancing his career, ultimately being met with untimely death.
