50-Year-Old Ms. Liu Yanqin Tortured Severely in Qingyuan County, Liaoning Province

During the time leading up to the Olympics, police officers from the Fushun City Police Department arrested many Falun Gong practitioners, and a few practitioners were temporarily detained at the Fushun City Second Detention Centre. Among them was Ms. Liu Yanqin (50), from Tukouzi Township, Qingyuan County. Police officers from the Qingyuan County Police Department told her that she was to be "taken for arraignment" but instead took her back to her home town where she was tortured for two days and a night in a detention centre. The torture was so severe that Ms. Liu was hardly able to take care of herself from this point onward.

Ms. Liu was shackled by her hands and legs to a tiger bench¹. She was also verbally abused by police officers from Qingyuan County. The police officers beat and cursed her, force-feeding her liquor. They blocked her mouth and forced her to breathe it in through her nose. They also put a burning cigarette into her nostril and forced her to inhale the smoke [Editor's note: Falun Gong practitioners do not drink alcohol or smoke].

When Ms. Liu was taken back to the detention centre, her hands and legs felt numb. Her fingers lost all mobility and she could no longer feed herself. She was vomiting, and her body and face were covered with bruises. Both feet were swollen.

There were thirty other detainees at the time and they were all shocked by what had happened to her. They all agreed that if they had not seen her condition with their own eyes, they would find it hard to believe that anyone could be so brutal to such a nice person. Ten days later, Ms. Liu and a few other Falun Gong practitioners were taken away and no further information has become available since then. It is our hope that all concerned people will keep watching this case.

Note

1. "Tiger Bench": Prisoners are forced to sit on a small iron bench that is approximately 20 cm (6 inches) tall with their knees tied together. With their hands tied behind their backs or sometimes placed on their knees, they are forced to sit straight up and look straight ahead without movement for long periods of time.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2008/9/13/185816.html