July 4, 2001
[Minghui Net]
Song Yanzhao, male, 28 years old, was a resident of Huangyang Town in Wuwei City, Gansu Province. Because he would not give up his right to practice Falun Dafa, Song was illegally sentenced to one and a half years of forced labor education and was illegally detained in the First Labor Camp of Gansu Province, located in the Pingantai area of Lanzhou City.
During his detention, Song Yanzhao was very steadfast in his practice of Falun Dafa and his dedication towards Master Li; he refused to be brainwashed by the Chinese authorities. In the labor camp, Song's hands were handcuffed behind his back and he was abused with various cruel tortures. Song also went on a hunger strike to ask for the release of all illegally detained Falun Dafa practitioners.
On May 2, 2001, the labor camp team that Song Yanzhao had been assigned to showed Falun Dafa practitioners videotapes that defamed Master Li. Song Yanzhao was the first person to stand up and shout, "Falun Dafa is good!" The Team Supervisor Wang Wenchang and two inmates who were drug-addicts immediately knocked Song Yanzhao to the ground and beat him so fiercely that Song's eyes became dark blue and he almost went blind. Wang Wenchang also told Bao, another team supervisor, to handcuff Song to an iron bed frame that was two meters tall. Both of Song's wrists were cut and bleeding because of the sharp edges on the handcuffs.
According to a person on duty, Song was handcuffed throughout the night. Wang Wenchang also asked several drug-addicts and Guo Yongfeng (another team supervisor) to cruelly beat Song Yanzhao. Song was beaten to the point where his ribs were broken and bruises and wounds covered his body. He finally died a violent and unjust death. Further investigation is still needed to provide more detailed information.
During this procedure, seven other Falun Dafa practitioners from the same team had their hands cuffed behind their backs and were strung up hanging from wires as a way to forcibly "reform" them. Some practitioners were tortured to the point where they lost control of their bowels.
After Song Yanzhao was tortured to death (sometime between May 2 and May 15), the labor camp tried to block the news of his death. They did not allow the families of Falun Dafa practitioners to visit them. It is said that some people from the Gansu Province Procurators' Offices went to investigate the incident, but they only asked a few questions of the drug-addicts and did not speak with any Falun Dafa practitioners.
Category: Deaths
