(Minghui.org) Ms. Liu Xia, a 63-year-old retired middle school teacher in Panshi City, was arrested on July 10, 2008, and sentenced to seven years in prison in 2009 for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the communist regime.

Ms. Liu was subjected to a series of tortures during her imprisonment. She shrunk five inches in height, lost 44 pounds, and became disabled.

Ms. Liu Xia

When she was released on July 10, 2015, Ms. Liu found no home to return to. Her husband had divorced her under pressure from the communist authorities; her son was nowhere to be found. She had to rely on her younger brother to take care of her.

The Panshi City 610 Office confiscated her salary card after her 2008 arrest, leaving her in financial distress.

Below are excerpts from Ms. Liu's personal account of the ordeals she has suffered.

Brutal Persecution

Officers from the Panshi City Police Department arrested me on July 10, 2008, and demanded that I reveal names of Falun Gong practitioners and where I got my Falun Gong materials. When I refused, agents from the 610 Office beat and shocked me with electric batons for more than 30 hours. I was not allowed to eat, drink, sleep, or use the toilet.

Panshi Court illegally sentenced me to seven years in prison in 2009. I was taken to Heizuizi Women's Prison on September 28, 2009. This evil prison is notorious for torturing practitioners into renouncing their faith.

I endured physical and mental torture every day for resisting “transformation.” They forced me to read and watch propaganda books and videos and write repentance statements. They tried to get me to curse Falun Gong and its founder, Master Li.

When I refused, they made me suffer using the harsh cold of winter and the sweltering heat of summer. They forced me to sit on a “small stool,” kneel on the ground, and stand still for long periods of time. I was beaten, electrocuted, force-fed chili water, and put in solitary confinement. I was not allowed to sleep or use the toilet.

15 Days of Pain

The worst torture I suffered, barely a tip of the iceberg of the Chinese Communist Party's persecution, occurred in the 15-day period between December 28, 2010 and January 11, 2011. I went through the most intolerable persecution in the world.

I was taken to a solitary room on the fifth floor on December 28. The abuses there were extreme and evil. Three inmates instigated by the guard leader brutally beat me. One inmate surnamed Han was the worst. She beat me with a wooden pole for three hours until she was too tired to hit me any more. She then lied down on the bed. When I moaned because of the pain, she shouted, “It's useless to cry. If you die, we'll just report that you died from natural causes...”

In the evening of December 29, she gave me another beating. She slept in a bed the whole night, while I squatted on the floor.

I was put through a stretching bed torture in the morning of December 30. They tore off the bed sheets and used them to tie my hands and legs to the four bedposts, with my entire body suspended in the air. They put heavy items on my belly and beat my limbs every ten minutes to increase the pain.

They also forced me to swallow chili water. The torture continued until the cloth strip on my right hand broke. I was then forced to stand up the whole night.

Torture reenactment: Stretching Bed

On December 31, they beat me through the entire afternoon and into the evening. I could no longer take it and felt tightness in my chest. I started panting and fell to the floor, thinking that my life would come to an end. They inserted some kind of drug (to resuscitate me, I believe) into my mouth, but I spat it out.

The brutal beating resumed after breakfast on New Year's Day. They stopped after I panted heavily and fell, but another inmate with the last name Tian kicked my chest with her leather shoes. The pain was so unbearable that I passed out. My whole body was black and blue. I was at the brink of death.

They tried to force me to write a “guarantee statement” promising not to practice Falun Gong. When I refused, they stripped off my clothes and restrained me under a table in extremely cold weather, with all the windows open. The “freeze torture” lasted through January 11, 2011.

Continued Abuse

On January 12, I was transferred to Ward No. 10. The torture there was also very brutal. I was forced to sit on a “small stool” with both hands above my head and both feet up, with heavy items put on my legs to increase the pain. I endured such torture for more than 40 days. I was also not allowed to use the restroom. On one occasion, the deprivation lasted for 17 hours.

The torture damaged my nervous system, and my ribs were broken. I became disabled and could not keep my back straight. I shrank more than 15 centimeters (6 inches) in height and lost 20 to 25 kilograms (44 to 55 pounds).

Health Improved After Learning Falun Gong

My mother had been plagued for years by several diseases, including asthma. She tried all kinds of treatments, but nothing worked. After she started to practice Falun Gong in the fall of 1998, the symptoms of all of her diseases disappeared.

Since I took care of her, I began practicing Falun Gong, as well. I suffered severe injury to my spine in a car accident in 1995, but the injury healed after practicing Falun Gong, and I was able to have the steel plate removed. Out of the 12,000 yuan I received for the accident, I returned the 700 yuan left over after the surgery. I would not have done that if I were not a Falun Gong practitioner.