Mr. Guo Hanpo, a Falun Gong practitioner in his 50's, died April 5, 2008 in Baoding City Prison while serving a long sentence. His family reports he was tortured and forced to do hard labor with little food.

Mr. Guo Hanpo Dies in Baoding Prison

Mr. Guo Hanpo was a Falun Gong practitioner in his 50's who lived in Cangzhou City, Hebei Province. Early on the morning of April 5, 2008, his family received a phone call from Baoding City Prison saying that he had died. His family rushed to the prison. Details have yet to be investigated.

Mr. Guo was a famous silver craftsman. He used to make jewelery in the Huabei Shopping Mall for many years, and had a great business. He was also well-known for being a filial son, because he treated his elderly mother very well. In the early part of the summer of 2000, Mr. Guo opened "Sincerity Jewelery Store" on Shuxi Street, and the store was crowded with customers every day.

In March 2001, police from Cang County ransacked his store, and took products worth over three thousand yuan. He was placed on the Cangzhou City Police Wanted list after that, causing him to not go home or visit his mother so as to avoid being arrested. On July 22, 2001, when he passed the City Birth Control Committee gate on his bike, officers who were following him suddenly grabbed him, pushed him into a vehicle, and took him into custody, detaining him at the Violence Prevention Division of the Police Department. He was tortured, deprived of sleep for many days, back cuffed (cuffed from behind his body, with one hand up and one hand down), brutally beaten, shocked with electric batons, which caused damage to his left hand. He was unable to bend or move it for a long period of time.

After being detained at the Cangzhou City Detention Center for a whole year, police had him sentenced to eleven years in prison, without notifying his family, and took him to the Baoding City First Prison secretly. Mr. Guo was forced to do slave labor in the ceramic factory of the prison. He had to do the most heavy labor - crack the rocks, but in a half starved state. He had to ask for money from home to buy expensive food, while being mentally tortured by forced brainwashing. He became very thin and dark, so different from his normal, healthy condition.

Local police constantly harassed his family during his imprisonment, made his family live in terror and constantly created difficulties. His wife had to borrow money to send to him.