Name: Gao Huijie (高慧杰)
Gender: Female
Age: 46
Address: Huangu District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province
Occupation: Attorney
Date of Most Recent Arrest: August 21, 2011
Most Recent Place of Detention: Liaoning Women's Prison (辽宁省女子监狱)
City: Shenyang
Province: Liaoning
Persecution Suffered: Detention, illegal sentencing, imprisonment, torture, beatings, forced injections, brainwashing, sleep deprivation, denial of restroom use, long-term standing, denied visitation
(Clearwisdom.net) Practitioner Gao Huijie was repeatedly tortured in Liaoning Women's Prison, where she was held from 2005 to 2010. Her torture included being viciously beaten, deprived of sleep, and doused with cold water. After her release, in late December 2010, Ms. Gao filed a lawsuit against Liaoning Women's Prison for torturing her both physically and mentally during her imprisonment. On March 22, 2011, the prison denied all of her claims. Ms. Gao has since filed an appeal with the Shenyang Intermediate People's Court.
An account of some of the persecution Ms. Gao Huijie endured follows:
The supervisor of the second division for the prison, Li Jing, locked Ms. Gao in an activity room. The glass on the door was covered with newspaper, so that no one could see what was happening inside. Collaborators Li Suhua and Zhang Lin were ordered to torture Ms. Gao on a daily basis. After the rest of the prison staff went to work, the two collaborators took Ms. Gao to a washroom. They removed all of her clothes, pushed her to the ground, and poured ice-cold water on her for half an hour on a daily basis.
When it was cold in October and November, they forced Ms. Gao to wear only a thin uniform without any undergarments. They forced Ms. Gao to sit on the brick floor and watch brainwashing videos during the day. They also deprived her of sleep at night.
The collaborators often refused to let her use the restroom and forced her to stand in a cold room with no shoes wearing only a thin layer of clothing. They opened the windows at 4:00 a.m. every day to let in the cold air. Ms. Gao was sometimes forced to stand continuously for seven to eight days. In the evening, when Ms. Gao needed to use the restroom, they didn't let her go, and instead tied her to a pipe and viciously beat her. They then put tape over her mouth for the entire evening.
On October 1, 2006, collaborator Li Suhua punched and kicked Ms. Gao, including in her abdominal area. She knocked out one Ms. Gao's teeth in the process.
Li Jing later ordered another criminal, Li Wenlan, to torture Ms. Gao. Li Wenlan used a broom to hit Ms. Gao in the face, causing her right ear to swell up.
At one point, collaborator Zhang Lin shoved a dirty mop into Ms. Gao's mouth. Zhang Lin kicked Ms. Gao until her belly and genital area became badly swollen, and her life was in danger. Ms. Gao was sent to the prison’s hospital, but the doctor there didn't know how to treat her, and had her transferred to the Shenyang City 739 Hospital. The doctor at the 739 Hospital wanted to operate. When Ms. Gao heard this, she requested to meet with her family, but Li Jing denied the request. Without a detailed examination, an incision was made at the wrong place. The doctor then asked Li Jing if another incision could be made and he agreed. Ms. Gao now has two large scars in her pubic area. While Ms. Gao was in the hospital, Li Jing did not inform her family, and turned them away when they found out and came to visit her.
Ms. Gao's torture in the prison significantly impacted her family. Ms. Gao's mother once went to the prison to request a visit. A female guard took her to an empty room and interrogated her, along with another guard. When Ms. Gao's mother asked if her daughter had been beaten in the prison, both of them denied it and claimed she was fine, even though she was badly injured from beatings at the time.
Ms. Gao's mother was repeatedly denied visitation and information about her daughter's condition. On October 28 and November 3, 2008, she sent letters to the Discipline Inspection Committee of the prison, but never received a reply. Her health deteriorated quickly after Ms. Gao's imprisonment, and she died without seeing her daughter again.
Ms. Gao's right ear is now disfigured, and she has two scars in her pubic area. She had one tooth knocked out, and thirteen other teeth fell out as a result of the sleep deprivation and other forms of torture that harmed her overall health. Because of the frequent torture, particularly being forced to sit on the cold concrete for long periods of time, she now has great difficulty with bladder control and has to urinate frequently.
Related article:
Ms. Gao Huijie Tortured in Liaoning Women's Prison http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2007/7/16/87730.html
