(Clearwisdom.net) Since July 1999, when Jiang's regime began the suppression of Falun Gong, the Xuanhua National Security Division of Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province has arrested about 100 Falun Gong practitioners and sent them to Xuanhua Detention Center. Among them, dozens have been sentenced to forced labor camps and several to prison terms. After one large-scale arrest in May 2001, twenty-two Falun Gong practitioners were sentenced to either forced labor or prison. At least three practitioners have been tortured to death during detention in the forced labor camp or the detention center. What follows are the persecution experiences of some of these practitioners.

Falun Dafa practitioner Mr. Guo Zhengqing was in very good health, weighed 90 kg. (198 lbs.), and had 20/20 vision before he was arrested. At the end of April 2001 he was arrested by the National Security Division and sentenced to three years in prison. During the illegal detention at the Xuanhua Detention Center, the police guards used all kinds of torture tools to persecute him, including handcuffing his hands behind his back, putting shackles on his hands and feet, making him sit on a "Tiger Bench"⁽¹⁾, force-feeding him, and beating him.

The handcuffs used to restrain the hands behind the body are not regular handcuffs. They are a very barbaric torture tool. The cuffs are made of two U-shaped rings with holes on each end, a metal rod that goes through the holes, and a lock. In less than two hours after the cuffs are applied, both hands become swollen due to the blood circulation being restricted. Because the cuffs are so tight on the wrists, the victim feels extreme pain, making it impossible for him/her to rest. The "Tiger Bench" is actually a low metal stool. The persecutors tie the practitioners' knees tightly to the stool so that their legs cannot move at all. After a period of time, the legs become swollen and the victim's muscles are so stiff they find it impossible to walk properly after they are released from the bench. As for force-feeding, the police guards will lock a practitioner onto the "Tiger Bench," handcuff his/her hands to the bench, and then immobilize the victim's head. A rubber tube is inserted through a nostril into the stomach. Salted milk is poured into the tube. The whole process of force-feeding is very painful. One practitioner died when the tube was inserted into the windpipe and the fluid filled the lungs. Though the police guards tried very hard to hide the facts, the inmates who have been detained for a long period of time all know about this tragedy.

The police guards incited inmates to beat up Mr. Guo Zhengqing, saying that Mr. Guo refused to obey their orders. One time, the police guards gave a cigarette to each of the inmates who took part in a beating, and there was only one cigarette left from a pack of 20. The inmates in the detention center often beat Mr. Guo Zhengqing. Whenever he called to the police guards to report the beatings, no one responded. In less than a year, a healthy and strong Guo Zhengqing could no longer stand up straight because the torture had injured his back. He had cramps in his legs, his eyesight dropped to 0.2, he was shaking all the time, and he became incontinent. Later, a catheter was inserted for an unknown reason, which restricted him to the bed and he could not stand up. Whenever he stood up he would want to urinate. Even when he had blood in his urine, he did not receive proper medical attention and he was only given an antiphlogistic. In order to stand up to practice the exercises Mr. Guo Zhengqing managed to slowly pull the catheter out while bearing the extreme itching and pain. After he removed the catheter there was a lot of bleeding and gas bubbles. Only then did the detention center send him to a hospital. After treatment, the detention center tried to transfer him to a jail but the jail refused to accept him. He was taken back to the detention center. A few months later Mr. Guo's family took him to the hospital for a check-up and tried to have him released on bail for medical treatment, but the detention center turned down the request. Finally, he was sent to the Shijiazhuang Jail.

Falun Dafa practitioner Mr. Wang Cungen, who is over 30 years old, was arrested in November 2000 and sentenced to five years in jail. He is currently being held at the Datangwan Jail in Zhuolu.

Ms. Lu Aidong, also over 30 years old, was arrested in May 2001 by the Xuanhua District National Security Division and sentenced to three years in prison. She was held at the Xuanhua Detention Center for nearly a year before being sent to Mancheng Jail in Baoding City.

During Mr. Gao Shulin's detention, the police guards hammered sharp bamboo sticks under his fingernails (2). As a result, all of his fingers became swollen and deformed, and yellowish pus and blood dripped from the wounds. Mr. Gao suffered a mental collapse and only stared ahead blankly as a result of the torture. He sat in a corner every day and did not say anything. Mr. Gao was later sent to a forced labor camp.

One day in September 2002 several people from the Xuanhua District National Security Division came to 30-year old Falun Dafa practitioner Mr. Zhang Zhanyuan's work unit. They lied to him, saying that the heating system at his home was leaking water and he needed to fix it. However, as soon as he stepped outside his work unit he was handcuffed and taken to the Xuanhua District Detention Center. After 24 hours of non-stop interrogation, Mr. Zhang was locked up at the district detention center. He was formally arrested over seven months later. On November 8, 2003 Mr. Zhang stood trial at the Xuanhua District Court, but after four months, no verdict has been handed down.

Falun Dafa practitioner Mr. Wang Shimin, is in his 40s, was abducted by the Xuanhua District National Security Division in September 2002, and later detained at the Xhuanhua District Detention Center. Mr. Wang began a hunger strike to protest the persecution. The police guards handcuffed his hands behind his back, shackled him to an iron bench, and force-fed him. Since he had been on a hunger strike for a few days and his stomach was empty, the liquid that was force-fed passed through his system very quickly. However, the police guards did not release him from the iron bench, and intended to let him excrete in his pants so that everyone in the cell would hate him. How evil! Mr. Wang was tried four months ago, and he is still waiting for a verdict while detained.

Falun Dafa practitioner Mr. Li Weisheng, 27, was abducted by the No. Three Division of the Qiaodong District Criminal police at Weiyi Road, Zhangjiakou City on November 28, 2003. Those involved in the persecution include Deputy Team Leader Zhang Xuejun, policemen Yang Dong, Wang Yan, and Wang Yifu. Two days later Mr. Li was transferred to Shisanli Detention Center in Zhangjiakou City. Upon his arrival at the detention center, he was beaten by a police officer with the badge number 060800. This same officer also cursed Dafa practitioners. Later, Mr. Li was illegally detained at the Xuanhua Detention Center. The persecutors are planning to put Mr. Li on trial.

The aforementioned Dafa practitioners are currently held at the Xuanhua Detention Center. During 2002 and 2003, Xuanhua Detention Center also shackled several female practitioners together as punishment for their holding a hunger strike. One shackle is used to bind two practitioners' legs, and four or five practitioners were shackled together. These practitioners were virtually unable to do anything. Even when one practitioner needs to use the toilet, the others have to follow.

List of the perpetrators:

Liu Penggang, former Party Secretary of the Guocun Township, Xuanhua County, Zhangjiakou City
Fan Yu, former Director of the Social Stability Office, Xuanhua County, Zhangjiakou City
Yang Erbao, former Head of the Guocun Township Police Station, Xuanhua County, Zhangjiakou City (recently transferred to Zhao Chuan)
Yao, former Deputy Head of the Guocun Township Police Station, Xuanhua County, Zhangjiakou City
Zhao, former Political Commissar of the Guocun Township Police Station, Xuanhua County, Zhangjiakou City
Bai Shijie, former Political Instructor of the Guocun Township Police Station, Xuanhua County, Zhangjiakou City (Bai took over the position after his predecessor Zhao died in a car accident.) 86-313-3052916 (H), 86-13932392670 (C)
Wang Chunguang, former Deputy Head of the Jiajiaying Township Police Station, now Political Instructor of Guocun Township Police Station
Jin Gui, former Head of the Guocun Village, Guocun Township, Xuanhua County, Zhangjiakou City
Ru Wanxian, former Party Secretary of the Dangjiagou Village, Guocun Township, Xuanhua County, Zhangjiakou City
Wang Ke, Party Secretary of the Shuiquan Village, Guocun Township, Xuanhua County, Zhangjiakou City

Li Yongqiang, Director of the Xuanhua County "610 Office": 86-313-3012087 (W), 86-313-6087980 (H)

(1) "Tiger Bench": an instrument of torture. One is forced to sit on a small iron bench with knees tightly tied on the bench and hands tied on the back. Usually some hard objects are inserted underneath the lower legs to make it even harder to bear the pain, see illustration on http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2001/11/24/16156.html].

(2) Inserting Bamboo Sticks: The police hammer sharp bamboo sticks under the fingernails of the practitioner. In the process of the hammering, the fingernails are completely torn off. As one's fingers are extremely sensitive, this hammering process causes excruciating pain that is indescribable. The police first hammer the bamboo stick into one finger. If the practitioner still refuses to bend, the police will hammer a bamboo stick into the next finger until all 10 fingers have been injured.