The Facts of the Persecution of Falun Gong -- March 9, 2008

Issued by Clearwisdom Net

Content
 

On February 24, 2008, when Mr. Chen Baofeng was driving his taxi out of town, the police arrested him and his passengers. They were transferred to the 1st Detention Center of Chaoyang City on March 3, 2008. Mr. Chen was died the same night, and thus far, the family has still not been allowed to see his body.

Mr. Yi was sentenced to six years in prison after the police found a Falun Gong book and flyer on him at a bus station on August 19, 2001. Due to long-term mistreatment and tortures in jail, he was paralyzed and bedridden. Not until he was in critical condition did the prison released him. He died on February 13, 2008 at age 45.

Mr. Chen Baofeng Died in Police Custody in Liaoning Province

Mr. Chen Baofeng, 43, lived in Liujiazi Town, Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province. On February 24, 2008, he was driving his taxi to take some friends out of town when the police stopped his vehicle, and arrested him and his passengers. After being held for several days, they were transferred to the 1st Detention Center of Chaoyang City (also called Wujiawa Detention Center) on March 3, 2008. Mr. Chen was died the same night, and thus far, the family has still not been allowed to see his body.

On February 24, 2008, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Li Yaxuan heard that her husband Mr. Gao Yuling was severely tortured in the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp and was undergoing emergency in the hospital. She hired Mr. Chen's taxi to take some friends and family, including Ms. Li Yingxuan, Ms. Zhe Xiumei, Ms. Yu Huijuan, and Ms. Jing Fei, to visit her husband in Shenyang City. A police vehicle from the Qianjin District Police Department stopped the taxi and arrested everyone inside. The police took them all back to Chaoyang City the same night and detained the six practitioners in Shijiazi Detention Center.

Chaoyang City Police Department Deputy Chief Zhang Minghua said that the provincial police department gave orders to violently interrogate these six practitioners. When their family went to visit them, an officer said, "If they refuse to cooperate, we will force-feed them until they die."

When Mr. Chen Baofeng was died in police custody, Chaoyang City Police Department did not notify his family. After Zhang Minghua met with the Political Security Division and the detention center, they claimed that Mr. Chen had died of a sudden heart attack.

Mr. Chen's family pointed out that he never had heart problems before and that he was a very healthy man. How could he have died only eight days after being arrested if it was not the result of police brutality? If he died of sickness, why didn't they notify his family when he was ill? Why have they refused to allow the family to see his body?

Mr. Yi Fuquan Dies as Result of Torture in Tailai Prison, Heilongjiang Province

Mr. Yi Fuquan lived in Yanhe Village, Jincheng Township, Shuangcheng City, Heilongjiang Province. He was sentenced to one year of forced labor because he went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong after July 20, 1999, the start of the persecution. On August 19, 2001, Mr. Yi was illegally arrested at the bus station when police found a Falun Gong book and flyer on him. He was sentenced to six years in prison by Shuangcheng City Court.

Mr. Yi Fuquan was first detained in the Harbin City Third Prison then transferred to the Tailai Prison on July 1, 2004. On July 10, 2004, the Reform Office Chair Jiang Haitao and officer Liu (given name unknown) spoke with Mr. Yi and tried to force him give up practicing Falun Gong. Mr. Yi absolutely refused. They saw that he refused to accept the brainwashing, so they had prisoners put 35-pound ankle shackles on Mr. Yi and forced him to stand under the burning sun. Guard Yu Hongtao directed prisoners Zhang Liantao and Wang Wenzhong to force Mr. Yi to walk rapidly with the shackles. If Mr. Yi did not walk fast enough, Zhang Liantao would kick him very hard. Mr. Yi was out of breath, and his ankles were bleeding. These evildoers also tortured him with the "big hang up (1)," which caused his arms to lose sensation.

The Tailai Prison guards created a new way to torture prisoners. They forced Mr. Yi sit on the floor, cuffed his four limbs stretched apart onto a metal structure under the baking sun, and did not allow him to drink water. After a while, they released his feet and put three bricks under each foot, elevating his legs over his head for a long while. When the guards saw he could not take it any more, they left him cuffed by his hands to a bar.

The guards tried to force Mr. Yi write the "guarantee letter", but he refused. Guard Yu Hongtao then hit his head with a rubber baton. Prisoner Qu Hongyu and Yu Hongtao twisted Mr. Yi's arms behind his back. Another guard Li Yongzhe punched Mr. Yi's face, causing his nose and mouth to bleed.

Due to long-term brutal mistreatment, Mr. Yi suffered muscle atrophy in his left hand, and his health condition deteriorated. He could not take care of himself, and he was paralyzed and bedridden. He had to wait until other prisoners finished eating so they could bring him some water and food. He was starving. His family requested Mr. Yi's release on bail for medical treatment, but the prison administration did not grant the request for a long time. Not until Mr. Yi was in critical condition did the prison agree to let him be picked up by his family on August 8, 2007. He suffered six more months in pain, and died on February 13, 2008 at age 45.

Note:

(1) There are several forms of this torture: 1. With both hands cuffed behind the back and only the toes touching the ground, one is hung by a rope that is tied to a metal window frame; 2. One hand of a practitioner is cuffed to one bunk bed and the other hand to another bed, and the two beds are pulled in the opposite directions. One feels extreme pain as the body is pulled. For examples of this torture, see illustrations on /emh/articles/2004/11/17/54624.html

Ms. Mao Jiangxin and Ms. Song Xiaotang Cruelly Tortured by Wangcun Forced Labor Camp

Ms. Mao Jiangxin, in her 60s, is a retiree of Qilu Petrol-Chemical Company. The local police sent her to the 4th Ward of the Wangcun Women's Forced Labor Camp in early 2007. Because she refused to "reform," they locked her in a bathroom, a specially built "small cell", with the windows and doors sealed. There is no air-flow in the bathroom/cell and the foul odor is suffocating. Ms. Mao was often beaten and verbally abused by guards Wang Huiying, Sun Hua and Li Furong. In the winter the cell is as cold as a freezer. To reach the ordered "reform quota" and gain some petty profit, the three female guards attempted to force Ms. Mao to sign the "five statements." Ms. Mao did not comply. The three guards then ordered criminals Wang Caiqin, Xu Chengming, Wang Lixue and Qu Shumin to take turns to beat Ms. Mao's face and kick her body, making her fall onto the ice-cold floor. They tormented Ms. Mao with various tricks, and threatened to confine her in the small cell forever if she didn't sign the "Five Statements." Ms. Mao is very weak now, but still suffers in that miserable, ice-cold small cell.

Ms. Song Xiaotang from Hengtian Town, Jimo County, was taken to Wangchun Forced Labor Camp in August 2007 for distributing truth clarification materials. Ms. Song went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution and was tortured for refusing to cooperate with the guards. Carrying out the torture were Huang Bo and Yan Yan. They handcuffed Song Xiaotang to a specially built metal bed, forced a chopstick-thick tube into Song's nose, and taped her mouth shut. Guard Huang Bo, weighing over 65 kg (145 lbs), would forcefully sit down on Ms. Song's stomach, repeating this action several times, causing her excruciating pain. Guard Yan Yan would also sit on Ms. Song's legs. Each time they force-fed Ms. Song, her nose would bleed. Once, they left the tube in Ms. Song's nose for 3-4 days, making her lose consciousness several times.

When the guards realized they could not make her renounce her belief, they extorted money from her in many different ways. For each force-feeding they charged 800 yuan, eventually totaling over 3,000 yuan. The camp authorities lied to her family members, saying the money was for medication needed to cure her and demanded that the family pay the money. The long-term torture led to Ms. Song developing a kidney problem, heart disease and high blood pressure, which rose to 240. Even so, the camp authorities refused to release Ms. Song. Instead, they even forced Song Xiaotang to perform hard labor to make money for the camp.