(Minghui.org) A Deyang City resident was never able to recover from the damage he sustained while serving three years for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual practice being persecuted by the Chinese Communist regime.
All of Mr. Wu Zengwei's teeth had become loose by the time he was released in 2003. Now at 42, he only has six teeth left.
Mr. Wu attributed his lost teeth to the various forms of torture during his imprisonment.
In his own words, “The guards put mounting pressure on me to give up Falun Gong and I had frequent anxiety attacks. I had trouble falling asleep or keeping food down. There were moments when I thought I couldn't breathe and was about to pass out.”
The abuse took a toll on his heath and caused his teeth to gradually fall out in the years following his release from prison.
Mr. Wu filed a criminal complaint last September against former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin, who launched the persecution of Falun Gong 16 years ago. He detailed his three arrests over the years, his suffering at the prison, and his latest police encounter that forced him to live away from home.
As the police refused to return his ID, he cannot find a full-time job. He holds Jiang Zemin responsible for his damaged health and lack of employment.
Former Banker Forced to Quit Job
Mr. Wu worked at Hainan Province Industrial and Commercial Bank when the persecution began in July 1999. He was arrested after he went to Beijing to petition for the rights of Falun Gong practitioners one day after the persecution started.
After the police arrested him, the authorities pressured his supervisor to order him to write a “repentance letter.” He refused to comply and quit his job because he didn't want his boss to get implicated.
He returned to his hometown in Sichuan Province shortly afterwards.
Two More Arrests in as Many Years
Mr. Wu went back to Beijing to protest again a month later in August 1999. He was arrested and detained in the 2nd Detention Center in Haikou City, and was released four months later after he wrote a repentance letter against his will.
Mr. Wu was giving out fliers containing information about the persecution of Falun Gong in October 2000, and the police arrested him. He was detained and forced to perform sweatshop labor in Deyang Detention Center for 11 months before he was even tried.
After his trial, the judge at Luojiang County Court sentenced him to three years. According to his family, his sentence was reported in the local newspaper before the trial was held.
Abuse at Prison Results in Loose Teeth
Mr. Wu was monitored around the clock after he was sent to Deyang Prison in September 2001. The guards and prisoners frequently beat him and attempted to brainwash him by forcing him to write slanderous articles against Falun Gong.
He wasn't allowed to talk to or even make eye contact with other practitioners. When he refused to sing songs praising the communist regime, he was forced to stand under the scorching sun all day and banned from using the toilet.
When the guards found Mr. Wu reading Falun Gong teachings in prison, they ordered the prisoners to beat him.
He was deprived of sleep for three days and tortured with a technique called “riding a motorcycle.” He had to squat with his heels off the ground and arms held out in front over a long period of time. The guards beat him if his posture changed. His legs became swollen and stiff afterwards.
Mr. Wu was transferred to the strict management team for five months. Except for an hour of lunch time, he was placed under intensive military style “training.” He had to run 80 rounds of 300 meter (328 yards) circles twice a day. He was given a minimal amount of food.
Due to the lack of food, many in the team were emaciated and couldn't run well. When they fell, the guards ordered some prisoners to carry them and keep them running. Sometimes the prisoners purposely let go and would let the practitioner hit a wall or the stairs.
When the guards again found Mr. Wu reading Falun Gong teachings, he was locked in a solitary confinement cell for eight days with handcuffs on. Two months after that, he was re-admitted to the military training torture program.
After three years in Deyang City, with a lack of food and intense physical torment, Mr. Wu's teeth became loose. They gradually fell out over time. Mr. Wu, now 42 years old, has only six teeth left.
Latest Police Encounter
Mr. Wu's most recent encounter with the police was in July 2013. The police broke into his home while carrying guns, but Mr. Wu escaped. The police confiscated his personal ID, laptop, cell phones and other personal belongings and never returned them. Mr. Wu was forced to live away from home to avoid persecution. Without his ID, he cannot find a proper job to support himself.
Related report:Police in Deyang City, Sichuan Province Attempt to Deceive and Arrest Practitioner Mr. Wu Zenghui
