Crimes of Zhong Yibing, Deputy Director of the Hunan Provincial Justice Bureau, in Persecuting Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) On the 25th anniversary since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began to suppress Falun Gong in July 1999, practitioners from 44 countries submitted a new list of perpetrators to their respective governments, asking them to bar the perpetrators and their family members from entry and freeze their overseas assets according to the law.

Among the perpetrators listed was Zhong Yibing, deputy director of the Hunan Provincial Justice Bureau.

Perpetrator Information

Full Name of Perpetrator: Zhong (last name) Yibing (first name)Chinese Name: 钟艺兵Gender: MaleCountry: ChinaDate/year of Birth: October 1965Place of Birth: Hengyang City, Hunan Province

Title or Position

Zhong Yibing currently serves as a member of the Party Leadership Group and deputy director of the Hunan Provincial Justice Bureau, as well as the director of the Hunan Provincial Prison Administration Bureau since September 2017.

Previously, he was the deputy director of the Science and Technology Office of the Agriculture Department and deputy director of the Industry Department of the Hunan Provincial Prison Administration Bureau.

He also served as the deputy director of the Science and Technology Department of the Hunan Provincial Prison Administration Bureau, political commissar of the Yannan Prison, secretary of the Party Committee and warden of Yanbei Prison, member of the Party committee and deputy director of the Hunan Provincial Prison Administration Bureau.

Main Crimes

Since Zhong became the deputy director of the Hunan Provincial Justice Bureau and director of the Hunan Provincial Prison Administration Bureau in September 2017, he actively implemented the CCP’s persecution policy against Falun Gong, resulting in a large number of practitioners being sentenced. Some practitioners were tortured to death while still imprisoned, and some passed away shortly after they were released.

Select Death Cases

Case 1: Hunan Man Dies While Serving 8 Years in Prison

Mr. Liu Chaoyang was a resident of Changde City, Hunan Province. He was arrested on May 12, 2015 and sentenced to eight years in June 2018. He was admitted to the tenth ward in Wangling Prison, located in Zhuzhou City in the same province, on October 23, 2018. He died in the prison in March 2021.

According to other practitioners jailed in the same prison, the tenth ward was used as a “concentration camp” where steadfast practitioners were tortured over the years. The guards usually do not directly torture practitioners and instead instigate inmates to carry out the persecution by using term reductions and other incentives. The inmates are given free rein to torture practitioners without facing any consequences. They also force practitioners to attend brainwashing sessions, during which they order practitioners to curse at Falun Gong and its founder, and to sing songs that glorify the communist regime.

The guards and inmates often organized meetings to share persecution experiences and devise further strategies aimed to force practitioners to renounce Falun Gong. They use different tactics towards different practitioners based on their backgrounds, family situations, and other factors. While inflicting harm on practitioners, some inmates claimed they had no choice but were following the guards’ orders. Some guards then shirked responsibility by claiming they never laid a finger on practitioners.

Case 2: 65-Year-Old Woman Dies 17 Months Into Her Prison Term

Ms. Zhang Yaqin was arrested on December 30, 2018, for talking to people about Falun Gong at a farmer’s market. She was later sentenced to three years. She was admitted to the Hunan Province Women’s Prison on August 13, 2019, and held in the High Security Division. She was subjected to intensive brainwashing aimed at forcing her to renounce Falun Gong. Her family was not allowed to visit her during that time. She developed high blood pressure and became emaciated as a result of the torture. She passed away in prison on December 12, 2020, at the age of 65.

It’s been reported that, since 2017, all Falun Gong practitioners newly admitted to the prison have to spend the first two months in the High-Security Division and be subjected to brainwashing and coercion designed to force them to give up Falun Gong.

They are forced to stand for long hours each day and not allowed to use the restroom. When they end up relieving themselves in their pants, the guards only allow them to wash their pants quickly but not their bodies. They also force practitioners to wear the soiled pants, even in the winter. After a while, their lower bodies become infected and fester.

A guard once instigated an inmate to torture Falun Gong practitioners like this: “We’ll let them eat but not use the restroom.”

Case 3: Critically Ill Man Denied Medical Parole, Dies Months After Being Imprisoned

Mr. Wang Yuelai, of Yueyang City, Hunan Province, was in critical condition after three months of detention at Wangling Prison. Despite his family’s repeated requests for medical parole, the authorities refused to release him and ordered the guards and inmates to monitor him around the clock. His condition continued to deteriorate until doctors issued a third critical condition notice. He passed away in prison on August 31, 2018. He was 56.

Mr. Wang was arrested on January 24, 2018, while he read Falun Gong books with other practitioners. The Yueyang City Court sentenced him to three years on April 10 and fined him 5,000 yuan. He was taken to Jin City Prison in Hunan Province on May 14 and then transferred to Wangling Prison one month later, where he passed away.

Case 4: Incapacitated after Ten Years of Imprisonment, Hunan Woman Dies Two Years After Release

Ms. Xiao Meijun, a Hengyang City, Hunan Province resident, passed away on March 2, 2020, after suffering years of persecution, including incarceration, for her faith in Falun Gong. She was 72.

Ms. Xiao, a retired food transportation worker, served two prison terms for a total of ten years. At Hunan Province Women’s Prison, inmates were instigated by the guards to beat and verbally abuse her. They didn’t allow her to talk to others and often forced her to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time without moving. Sometimes she was denied restroom use and had to relieve herself in her pants.

The guards later ordered the inmates to inject Ms. Xiao with unknown drugs. She fell into a coma and was resuscitated in the hospital.

After years of persecution, Ms. Xiao became incapacitated and was unable to walk on her own. Her hands shook involuntarily. Most of her teeth fell out during the force-feedings.

Ms. Xiao never recovered after she was released on May 18, 2018. She passed away on March 2, 2020.

Case 5: Hunan Man in His 70s Dies One Year After Prison Release

When Mr. Tan Huidong was released in 2019 after serving 4 years in prison for practicing Falun Gong, the Li County, Hunan Province resident was incontinent, unable to stand, sit or talk. Weeks later, Mr. Tan’s family found his tongue atrophied. They also discovered needle scars on the back of his head. While Mr. Tan was unable to tell them what happened to him in the prison, his family suspected that he was injected with toxic drugs. He died a year later in early October 2020. He was 76.

Mr. Tan was arrested in 2013, after a police chief spotted him distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. He was later sentenced to 3.5 years, but wasn’t taken to the Wangling Prison to serve time until 2016 due to his health condition.

Because Mr. Tan refused to renounce Falun Gong, he was forced to sit or stand for 16 hours every day. The guards constantly beat and verbally abused him. He was also held in solitary confinement, as well as in a cell facing the west with strong exposure to the sun and no air conditioning. Even though he developed severe health problems due to the torture, the authorities still extended his term for six months.

Torture in the High-Security Ward in Hunan Women Prison

The high-security ward at the Hunan Province Women’s Prison is specifically used to detain Falun Gong practitioners imprisoned for their faith. Each cell is managed by a head inmate appointed by the guards and given the title “study lead.” They were responsible for carrying out the specific tortures as ordered by the guards.

One of the most commonly used torture methods is long hours of standing. The practitioners are forced to stand from the time they get up at 6:30 a.m. until bedtime at 10 p.m. They have to keep their bodies motionless and are only allowed to move their arms when having meals or drinking water.

For 24 hours, they could only use the restroom once, for ten minutes only, and are prohibited from washing themselves for the rest of the day. They also must report to and get permission from the head inmate before they can use the restroom. Due to the limited access to the restroom, some practitioners were forced to relieve themselves in their pants. Some avoided drinking water or limited their water intake. The long-term standing caused bruises on their feet and swelling of their hands, abdomen, and legs.

Torture illustration: standing

If practitioners refused to renounce Falun Gong, they aren’t allowed to take showers, not even after their monthly mandatory haircut.

In addition to the standing torture, practitioners are also verbally abused by the inmates and forced to watch videos which slander Falun Gong. The physical torture is escalated for those who still hold firm to Falun Gong after the initial torture sessions.

Ms. Liu Chunqin of Zhuzhou City was arrested on May 27, 2020, for talking to people about Falun Gong. She was sentenced to four years on November 6, 2020, and admitted to the Hunan Province Women’s Prison on March 1, 2021. At the High-Security Division, she was shocked with electric batons, forced to stand for long hours every day, and not allowed to take showers or even wash her dishes after each meal.

Ms. Xiao Yongkang of Huayuan County was arrested on February 23, 2018, and sentenced to four years on October 30, 2018. She was transferred to the High Security Division at Hunan Province Women’s Prison on March 20, 2019. She endured horrific torture in the prison, including long hours of standing, sleep deprivation, starvation, and constant beatings. Several inmates once poured urine over her head and wiped a soiled sanitary pad across her mouth. The torture lasted until she was released in February 2022.

Ms. Guo Yuanhe, a Guidong County resident around 70, was arrested in March 2020 and sentenced to four years and six months in October that year. She suffered all kinds of torture including restricted restroom use, verbal abuse, and brainwashing in the Hunan Province Women’s Prison. She was once driven to the point of mental collapse and treated in the hospital, where she was force-fed and lost eight teeth.

Torture in the Wangling Prison

Wangling Prison in Hunan Province is the main facility in the province where male Falun Gong practitioners are imprisoned. The “Transformation Ward” was established in October 2017 to apply different tortures to force practitioners to renounce their faith, Falun Gong. Some guards proudly proclaimed, “We are very experienced in ‘transforming’ Falun Gong practitioners.”

The “Transformation Ward” is in the 10th district, which is a high-security prison zone, where forcible “transformation” programs are used to try to make Falun Gong practitioners renounce their faith.

On the second floor of the main building, each cell is about 12 square meters with four bunk beds for eight people. The 10th district management has a surveillance system in which every practitioner is monitored by three inmates 24 hours a day in one cell. Practitioners’ every move and word are monitored. The inmates seize any excuse to beat, verbally abuse, and physically torment practitioners. They also force them to “confess” to their crimes.

With the goal of forcing practitioners to abandon their belief, the “transformation” programs include brainwashing routines as well as physical torture. Practitioners are forced to watch and listen to propaganda programs, read articles that defame Falun Gong, and then write “thought reports.” Slogans slandering Falun Gong are posted everywhere. Recently, practitioners have been forced to shout slogans abusing Falun Gong before every meal, otherwise, no one is allowed to eat. They often have to sing songs which praise the Chinese Communist Party.

Practitioners have no personal freedom. They have to get permission for everything they do. If the inmates don’t let them use the bathroom, they have to wet their pants. They are often deprived of sleep. Freedom of thought is not allowed, either. Practitioners are often ordered to report their thoughts, and if they still say that Falun Gong is good, they will be tortured non-stop.

To protest the persecution, some practitioners went on a hunger strike. The guards simply waited for a few days and then took the practitioners to a hospital for a toxic injection.

“Leg-splitting” is one of the most brutal torture methods. The person’s legs are pulled apart in a straight line. It is very painful, and ligaments are often torn, sometimes leading to permanent disability. The excruciating pain makes the practitioner scream in agony. The guards also call this method “killing a pig.” Mr. Hu Wenkui, in his 30s, from Changdei City became incontinent after being tortured like this and eventually developed a mental disorder.

In addition to being a torture chamber, Wangling Prison is also an underground factory. Slave labor was used during the COVID pandemic in 2020 to make face masks, personal protection gear, and surgical gowns for overseas export. The packaging on some of these items was printed entirely in English. If inmates don’t finish their assigned quota for the day, they were shocked with electric batons or physically brutalized at night. The guards called this abuse “nighttime education.”

Mr. Wei Guimei, in his 70s, was also tortured with “forced splits.” He had a sudden stroke during the torture and completely lost his memory. He is unable to take care of himself but is still incarcerated.

Mr. Liu Chunquan, also in his 70s, was beaten by guards excessively, and forced to stand from 10 o’clock in the evening until the next morning, or until he fainted. However, the guards continued torturing him.