63-Year-Old Tianjin Man Pepper Sprayed 30 Times in One Night While Serving a 9-Year Prison Term for Practicing Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) A 63-year-old man in Wuqing District, Tianjin was drugged and pepper-sprayed while serving a nine-year prison term for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

Mr. Qi Zhiyin was arrested at his daughter’s home in Beijing on February 4, 2024 and put in the Wuqing District Detention Center in Tianjin. He was sentenced to nine years in July 2024 and soon admitted to the Binhai Prison in Tianjin.

Captain Liang and vice captains Ning and Zang were in charge of monitoring Mr. Qi. He went on a hunger strike for a period of time and the trio instructed inmate Wang Di to put drugs in his food, causing him to suffer diarrhea.

On May 20, 2025, inmate Zhao Qiang, who was in charge of overseeing the workshop, ordered Mr. Qi to turn and stand straight. He did not listen and vice captain Zang instructed other inmates to torture him at night. The inmates pepper-sprayed him twice that night. His face stung badly and became very swollen and red. He rinsed with water and got a bit better.

Zang pepper-sprayed Mr. Qi thirty times on the night of May 22, 2025 and did not allow him to rinse it. His face became extremely swollen and he could barely open his eyes. There was also severe swelling on his chest, abdomen and thighs. He noted sand-like sediments on his skin. A few days later, a layer of skin peeled off his face and creases appeared in his eye sockets. Zang was then nowhere to be seen and the prison said he was taking one week off.

Mr. Qi’s latest arrest in 2024 came five years after he was forced to live away from home to avoid being persecuted. He was previously arrested on December 28, 2017 during a police sweep in Tianjin. At least 36 other practitioners were also arrested on the same day. See the related reports for details of the group arrests.

Multiple Deaths as a Result of Prison Torture

Formerly known as Gangbei Prison, the Binhai Prison is notorious for torturing jailed Falun Gong practitioners. At least three were known to have died of torture in the prison, including Mr. Zhu Wenhua, 53; Mr. Li Xiwang, 49; and Mr. Li Shaochen, 77.

A few others died not long after they were released.

Mr. Chen Tongqing developed a heart condition while serving an eight-year term. He was not released until his term ended in 2010. He died not long afterwards. He was 73.

Mr. Liu Zhihong was sentenced to eight years in May 2002 and had a stroke not long after his prison admission. He was released on parole and died in September 2004. He was 61.

Mr. Lu Fuchun exhibited stroke symptoms when he completed a 4.5-year term in July 2014. He died later at 73.

Related Reports:Tianjin Man Sentenced to Nine-Year Prison Term for Practicing Falun Gong

37 Tianjin Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in One Day: 3 Jailed, 5 Awaiting Verdict, 6 Facing Indictment

Tianjin: 24 Arrested in One Day for Refusing to Renounce Falun Gong