Violently Beaten and Forced to Work Without Pay – 71-Year-Old Retiree Recounts Ordeals in Lanzhou Prison

(Minghui.org) Mr. Li Fubin from Lanzhou City, Gansu Province was sentenced to six years in June 12, 2018 for his faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been targeted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. He was released from Lanzhou Prison on September 3, 2022, having endured inhumane torture, including being forced to sit on a small stool for long hours and being violently beaten, which resulted in high blood pressure and high blood sugar.

Arrested and Sentenced

Mr. Li, a 71-year-old retired worker, started practicing Falun Gong in November 1997. His many illnesses such as stomach ulcer, disc herniation, and rheumatoid arthritis, disappeared within three months of practicing. He changed his bad temper and became a cheerful and kind person.

He took on the responsibility of taking care of his paralyzed mother-in-law when his wife, Ms. Zheng Shu, was busy working. He treated his mother-in-law like his own mother and helped her to change clothes and put on shoes. He also cooked for her and fed her, and taught her how to do Falun Gong exercises. Ms. Zheng complimented him for taking such good care of her mother, who no longer needed to use her crutches. Ms. Zheng also started practicing Falun Gong later.

On September 3, 2016, a dozen of officers from the Chengguan District police department, Baiyinlu Police Station, Zhangyelu Police Station, Tuanjie Xinchun Police Station knocked on Mr. Li’s door. When he refused to open the door, they smashed and pried the door using a hand-held hammer, steel drill, and chisel. Mr. Li had no choice but to open the door.

The police rushed in and handcuffed Mr. Li and his wife. They ransacked the house and took away their computer, printer, laminating machine, paper cutter, binding machine, printing papers, plastic film, Falun Gong books, and 7,200 yuan in cash. The also searched the couple’s kitchen cabinets, refrigerator, and washing machine.

Two hours later, the police took the couple to the hospital for DNA and blood sample collection. The couple refused to cooperate and were punched and kicked by the police. The police forcibly tried to draw their blood but could not find their blood veins. The violence stopped only after blood had been drawn. Ms. Zheng fainted but the police continued to drag her around for physical examination.

The couple were later sent to Tuanjie Xincun Police Station. Mr. Li was locked in an interrogation room and handcuffed. The next day, the couple was transferred to Lanzhou City No. 3 Detention Center.

Mr. Li’s blood pressure rose to a dangerously high level after the arrest. The detention center refused to accept him. However, the police still managed to get Mr. Li admitted.

Mr. Li’s blood pressure continued to rise due to the incarceration and constant interrogation in the detention center. Sometimes, the blood pressure monitor could not measure his blood pressure as it exceeded the range.

Mr. Li was charged with “undermining the law,” the standard pretext used to frame Falun Gong practitioners, in August 2017 and appeared in court a month later. The presiding judge, Wang Haibin, barred him from reading his defense statement, but ordered him to submit a copy. Mr. Li didn’t turn in the statement.

Mr. Li was later sentenced to six years by judge Wang. This is the second time that Mr. Li has been sentenced. He was given eight years in 2003 and also tortured in Lanzhou Prison by guards and inmates, causing his blood pressure to increase.

Forced to Sit on Small Stool for Ten Hours a Day

Mr. Li was transferred to Lanzhou Prison on June 12, 2018 and held at the No. 9 Division.

The No. 9 Division is the most brutal division in the prison that tortures Falun Gong practitioners. Upon Mr. Li’s arrival, six inmates were arranged to monitor him. When he tried to do Falun Gong meditation, the inmates forced him to wear a straitjacket and pulled the strings tightly until he had difficulty breathing and could not move.

After finding out that Mr. Li had extremely high blood pressure after a physical, the guards pressed his head and pried open his mouth to force-feed him medicine. Afterwards, they left him to lie on the ground for about five to six hours, before giving him a torn blanket and carrying him onto an upper bunk bed. He was in a drowsy state for the entire night.

Torture re-enactment: Sitting on a small stool

The next morning, the guards locked Mr. Li in a damp and dark room with six people monitoring him. He had to ask for permission if he had to use the restroom. From 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., he was made to sit on a small stool, but was not allowed to talk to anyone or move. He was beaten up when he refused to memorize the prison rules. This continued every day for six months

Beaten and Forced to Work

After six months, a guard who was notorious for persecuting inmates was promoted to the head of No. 9 Division and Mr. Li was transferred to No. 1 Division due to his advanced age.

On December 10, 2018, the No. 1 Division also had new management. The instructor, Wang Wei, assigned the most violent criminal, Ma Zhigang, to monitor and torture Mr. Li. 

Many inmates were also involved in monitoring Mr. Li around the clock. He was not allowed to talk to others or go anywhere without supervision. He was made to sit on a small stool and could only drink three small cups of water, equivalent to a total of 150 grams (a bit over 5 ounces), every day. He had to ask for permission before he could do anything.

Once, Ma grabbed Mr. Li and bit his mouth after he talked to someone. His mouth bled. The guard on duty refused to treat Mr. Li and instead scolded him for not washing away the blood stains. The guard also instructed others to leave and not to make any comments. Mr. Li’s wound didn’t heal until more than two months later. It also left a scar. 

In July 2019, Mr. Li was emptying his water bottle when Ma knocked him from behind with a heavy plastic box. Mr. Li fell and could not get up for a long time. Ma stood from behind and did not allow anyone to help him. Someone reported his behavior to the guards, but they turned a blind eye at it. 

On another day, Ma hit Mr. Li on his face and kicked him. He grabbed Mr. Li’s collar and pressed his body. Another inmate joined Ma to beat Mr. Li. A guard saw this and stopped them. Mr. Li was called to the instructor’s office, only to be blamed for not cleaning up the blood on his face.

Torture illustration: Beatings

Mr. Li’s arm was injured from the beating. He could not pick up anything, not even his rice bowl. He also had trouble taking shower or washing his clothes. The inmates humiliated him and locked him in the cell. He was again forced to sit on the small stool until the inmates came back after a day of work. 

As Ma became ever more rampant in beating Mr. Li, the guards later replaced him with a foreigner inmate, Vitaly. Similar to Ma, Vitaly also beat and swore at Mr. Li every day, when the guards urged him to transform Mr. Li. 

Vitaly forced Mr. Li to copy documents with content that slandered Falun Gong. Mr. Li was beaten and punished when he refused; he was also not allowed to use the restroom. The tortured caused Mr. Li’s systolic blood pressure to remain between 230 and 280 mmHg (a normal range should be less than 120 mmHg). Yet they continued to torture him.

Mr. Li was also forced to do unpaid labor. As his blood sugar continued to increase, he lost much of his vision, which slowed his work progress. However, the guards still forced Mr. Li to work overtime until 9 p.m., even during the winter when there was no heating in the workshop. 

Mr. Li’s legs became very swollen and painful after sitting for more than ten hours. He could only walk slowly, but the guards dragged Mr. Li to force him to quicken his pace. This caused Mr. Li’s heart to beat fast. 

Under the instigation from the inmates who were responsible for transforming Mr. Li, no other inmates dared to pity Mr. Li or speak up for him. If the inmates swore at Mr. Li, others would follow. The inmates force-fed Mr. Li medicine when he fainted, and even arranged for him to do night duty. Due to the high blood pressure, Mr. Li often had headaches and could only lie on the ground but the inmates still forced him to work.

The torture caused sharp decline in Mr. Li’s memory but the guards did not let up on their persecution against him. In July 2020, the prison intensified the persecution against practitioners. The efforts to brainwash and transform the practitioners increased.

The guards had several talks separately with Mr. Li to try to make him renounce his faith. When he refused, they pounced on him and beat him. Someone threatened to hang him up and beat him.

The many years of torture resulted in Mr. Li’s systolic blood pressure remaining at 280 mmHg. He had high blood sugar, pain in his chest, dizziness, and swollen legs. During his imprisonment, he was denied visitation by his family. He had talked to them only two to three times via a short phone call. His family was not allowed to send any clothes to him.

When he was to be released, he signed on a release form and wrote that he would file a criminal complaint against those who persecuted him. The guards dragged him to the office and verbally abused him for more than two hours. They also threatened him to give up the idea of filing a complaint against them.

Mr. Li was released on September 3, 2022.

Related reports:

Falun Gong Practitioners Relentlessly Persecuted at Lanzhou Prison in Gansu Province

Wife Released from Prison, Husband Still Serving Time for Their Shared Faith