Prolonged Exposure to the Scorching Sun: a Form of Torture Employed by the Chinese Communist Party

In the hot summer, the sun burns like fire and temperatures in many regions in China are nearly 40 o C (about 104 o F) or higher. Falun Gong practitioners are exposed to the heat and scorching sun for long hours.

Torture: Exposed to the scorching sun

This form of torture was seldom used in ancient times or today. However, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has created many variations of it for use in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

Left Out in the Hot Sun Until Heatstroke Results in Fainting

Ms. Xu Qingyan, a farmer from Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province, went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong on July 1st, 1999. She was arrested and taken back to Jinzhou Detention Centre. Police slapped the practitioners in the face, and then dragged them out into the hot sun. Several practitioners fainted from heatstroke.

Form of Torture: “Warming up”

Deyang Prison in Sichuan Province refers to this form of torture as “warming up.”

Mr. Bao Mingquan from a village in Sichuan Province was arrested and sent to Deyang Prison in July 2003. He was locked up in a completely dark room for one year and one month. One day, he was suddenly brought out of the cell and exposed to the scorching sun for days.

His head was shaved bald, and the skin on his scalp burned, broke open, and bled. The skin on his arms broke open due to long hours of exposure to the sun and started to bleed. Guards washed his hands and head with water and a layer of his skin fell off. It was a bloody sight and the pain was excruciating. It took seven to eight months before his skin recovered.

Forced to Stand in the Sun

Ms. Liu Zhiping is a practitioner from Yunnan Province. She went to Beijing to appeal in early 2000 and was consequently sentenced to two years of forced labour by Chuxiongzhou 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong). She was imprisoned at Yunban Province Women's Forced Labour Camp.

Ms. Liu was pregnant when she was sent to the laboru camp. On her second day, head guard Ma beat her for doing the exercises and made her stand for three days out in the hot sun. She was forced to stand wherever the sun shone.

Mr. Yang Gongxi, a practitioner from Acheng City, Heilongjiang Province, was sentenced to nine years. He was detained in Daqing Prison. On July 11th, 2009, head of the No. 6 Division Li Weinan and convict Li Huiwu tied Mr. Yang's hands behind his back and bound his legs with rope. Li Weinan hit Mr. Yang with a wooden stick and bamboo strip, starting from his back and then moving to his legs. His whole body was bruised and bleeding from the beatings.

They then took him outside with his face facing the sun. Under the scorching heat, sweat dripped onto his wounds and the pain was excruciating.

“Sunflower” Torture

Guizhou Province Women's Labour Camp sometimes forced practitioners to wear thick clothing and then exposed them to the scorching sun until their skin cracked or they fainted from heatstroke.

Sometimes, Wumaping Prison in Sichuan Province would strip all the clothes off the practitioners, take off their shoes, and expose them to the sun until their skin blistered. On other occasions, practitioners were made to sit cross legged on the searing ground. In the morning they faced the east, and in the afternoon they faced the west, hence this form of torture was named “sunflower.”

Practitioner Ms. Zhao Lerong, 56, was taken to Masanjia Women's Forced Labour Camp in Liaoning Province at the end of September 2010. Her eyes were very sensitive to light and she usually avoided straining her eyes and took care of her vision. When guard Su Dingyuan learned about her condition, she intentionally exposed her to the bright sun.

When Ms. Zhao groaned in pain, the guards taped her mouth with adhesive and tied her hands. Sun Dingyuan even gloated, “You are a sunflower. You turn whichever way the sun shines”.

"For Their Health"

Since May 2001, Pingshan County 610 Office in Hebei Province has held brainwashing sessions. Nearly 30 practitioners were detained at the Lizhuang military camp brainwashing centre. Under the scorching sun, 610 Office agents made practitioners do military drills on the cement until they lost consciousness. The agents claimed that this was for the practitioners' health.

In the brainwashing centre, primary school teacher Mr. Li Shouwo was beaten and then exposed to the scorching sun for one whole day.

Mr. Liang Zhifang from Huishe Town was once bound to a tree with ropes and left out in the hot sun for an entire afternoon.

Ms. Bai Shuhua from Huishe Town and Ms. Song Fengqin from Guyue Town Hospital were also left out in the sun.

Ms. Tian Qingling from Harbin City Chinese Hospital was detained in Qianjin Forced Labour Camp.

She lost control over her lower limbs as a result of the persecution she was put through. One of her legs was severely atrophied. Guards took away her wheelchair and crutches, forcing her to "walk" on her elbows. They made her climb down the stairs and left her in the hot sun, claiming that this was to “strengthen her.”

Exposure to the Sun “to Replenish Calcium”

Mr. Zhao Zemin was arrested and taken to Xuchang Forced Labour Camp in Henan Province in May 2008. Both his legs were handicapped and he became extremely weak due to torture.

Despite his frail condition, the labour camp ordered two inmates to drag him outside and leave him in the hot sun. After several months of exposure to the hot sun, several layers his skin peeled off. The guards claimed that this exposure to the sun was "replenishing calcium."

Forced to Lie on Hot Cement in the Sun

In June 2000, Ms. Xu Jinhui, Ms. Song Xiuying and a dozen other practitioners from Shouguang City, Shandong Province were made to lie on the cement in temperatures reaching 38 o C (about 100 o F). A dozen evildoers each holding a rubber hose whipped every practitioner repeatedly and kicked their thighs and toes. For about 10 days, these practitioners were baked in the sun during the day and beaten at night. They were also not allowed to sleep or drink.

Forced to Kneel on Manhole Covers in the Sun

Henan Province practitioner Mr. Chen Yueming was arrested in June 2000. He was taken to Sanmenxia City Detention Centre and detained for nine months. Police interrogated him frequently using torture.

Not only did they make him wear heavy shackles weighing several kilos on his hands and legs, they were also forced to wear shorts, then kneel on iron manhole covers in the scorching sun. Several bricks were also placed on their heads.

Tightly Bound and Left Out in the Hot Sun

Traffic police officer Mr. Xu Langzhou from Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province was arrested and taken to Panzhihua City Detention Centre in 2000 for doing the exercises outside his house. He was transferred to Xinhua Forced Labour Camp. Guards held Mr. Xu down and bound him with rope that cut into his flesh. They stepped on one side of his face, pressing it into broken brick parts. Blood kept oozing from his wounds and he was left out in the sun in the backyard.

Walking in Circles in Handcuffs and Shackles Out in the Scorching Sun

At Wanyaoshu Detention Center in Panzhihua City, guard Hu Xiaochuan ordered inmates to handcuff Ms. Luo Yuanchao, Ms. Yao Jiaxiu, and Ms. Hou Qinying together using two pairs of handcuffs. Then their legs were shackled together using two shackles weighing 38 kilos altogether. The practitioners had to walk around in circles out in the scorching sun for more than three hours.

Holding up a Cement Pole Out in the Hot Sun

On July 18th, 2000, Chengxi Police Station in Wenjiang, Chengdu City, arrested 67-year-old farmer Ms. Luo Yuying and took her to Tashui Town Police Station.

It was 40 o C (about 104 o F) at the time. She was made to kneel on hot carbon ashes and forced to hold up a cement pole weighing over 10 kilos for three days and three nights.

Baked in the Hot Sun Carrying a Bucket Containing Excrement

Police officer Hao Dongping from Tangshan City Police Department in Hebei Province ordered agent Xu Bojun from Lubei 610 Office and officers from Dali Street Police Station to break into Ms. Liu Guijin's house. They arrested her as well as other practitioners and took them back to the detention centre.

They made the two dozen practitioners squat out in the hot sun. Four bricks were tied together and hung from their hands. If they lost their balance, they would be beaten. They were also forced to carry a huge bucket containing excrement that had been heated in the sun. The bucket was hung around their necks for a whole day.

Guards also forced practitioners who were starving to carry buckets of excrement while barefoot in the afternoon when temperatures reached 40 o C. Then large rocks were transported to the field using tractors. During the hottest time of the day in the afternoon, practitioners were made to carry these rocks from one place to another and then move them back to the original place.

Handcuffed to an Iron Gate and Left Exposed to the Scorching Sun

Farmer Ms. Liu Gaixian from Baoji City, Shaanxi Province was sentenced to one year and six months of forced labour in 2001. She was detained at Shaanxi Province Women's Forced Labour Camp. During the hottest day in the summer of 2002, she was handcuffed to an iron gate from morning till night. She was not allowed to drink or go to the toilet.

Standing in the Hot Sun, Nose Touching the Wall

Ms. Liu Jingmei, in her 50s, from Zhuge Town, Yishui County, Shandong Province, was once made to stand out in the hot sun facing a wall by town Party head Tian, town head Wang Jianhuam and evildoers Song Yuwang and Ruan Bo. They made her touch the wall with her nose, her hands stretched out holding bricks.

Hanging from a Brick Wall in the Sun

At Chishan Prison in Yuanjiang, Hunan Province, Mr. Zeng Haiqi was hung from a brick wall by guard He Yong. His back was against the wall and both his feet were touching the ground. He was hung from afternoon till evening. It was mid June then, and daily temperatures reached approximately 40 o C . The sun shone directly on the brick wall and the wall became quite hot.

Exposed to the Sun While Handcuffed to an Air Conditioner

In Xinji Town, Sanhe City, Hebei Province, practitioners were stripped naked in the summer, handcuffed to an air conditioner and exposed to the scorching sun. The air conditioner was turned on and blew hot air at the practitioners.

Ovens on in an Already Hot Room

After practitioners Mr. Liu Qingchen and Mr. Liu Chenglin, father and son from Henan Province, were arrested, they were locked in a tiny, sealed room. The temperature inside was around 40 o C . Then four ovens were turned on facing them.

Handcuffed to a Torture Device and Left Out in the Sun

Tailai Prison in Heilongjiang Province uses a torture device made up of two 2 ft H-shaped parts. A reinforced bar links these two frames at the bottom. They put a practitioner between the two H-shaped frames in a sitting position with his/her back by the vertical pole. A metal ring welded to the middle of the pole encircles the victim's chest. The victim's arms and legs are stretched horizontally and tied to the rings at both ends of the upper and the lower horizontal bars. Both hands and legs are cuffed tightly. It's impossible to move. Several sharp spurs are welded onto the vertical pole so that the victim is unable to lean back. The victim sits on the cement floor day and night. They are not allowed to eat, drink or use the toilet.

Practitioner Mr. Pan Hongdong from Harbin City, who was tortured to death, was tormented with this device for three days and nights. He was lifted outside, handcuffed to the instrument and left to bake in the hot sun.

Burned with a Metal Roller

Practitioner Mr. Fan Qingjun from Shijiazhuang City was tortured in Jidong Prison. In June 2004, on hot days, guards instructed inmates to hold Mr. Fan Qingjun to the ground, face up to the sun, and left for one whole day. His eyesight deteriorated drastically.

A week after, guards ordered nine inmates to take off Mr. Fan's upper garments and hold him against a plastic thatch that had been left to heat up in the sun. Then they burned him with a metal roller baked in the sun for a day.

Baked in the Sun

Practitioner Mr. Lin Fengchi from Zhaoqing City was cruelly tortured in Sanshui Forced Labour Camp in Guangdong Province. It is extremely hot in Guangdong during July and August. Ground temperatures reach as high as over 70 o C (about 158 o F). Guards on duty were ordered to strip off his clothes and drag him outside onto the cement. Four guards held his limbs on the ground and left him face up. After a while, he was turned over so that his back was exposed.

Mr. Lin refused to give up his belief, so the guards wrapped him in two thick blankets and continued to bake him in the hot sun. This lasted for several hours until his life was in danger.

Burned by the Hot Sun

Practitioner Ms. Liu Zhaohong from Jiaozhou City had already been on a hunger strike for several months when she was transferred to Weibei Prison in Shandong Province. Head guard of the prison admission division Zhao Bing force-fed her.

When Ms. Liu did not give in despite the torture, Zhao Bing ordered inmates to drag her outside onto the burning cement ground. Her top garment was opened and she was left to bake in the hot sun. Several prison inmates were ordered to watch over her and keep her from turning. She was not allowed to make even the slightest movement. Ms. Liu was left out in the sun for three days. A layer of skin peeled off.

Forced to Wear Thick Clothing and March i n the Hot Sun

In May 2006, guards at the No. 2 Women's Prison in Yunnan Province made Ms. Gao Huixian go outside wearing thick clothing. It was a hot day and she had to march from morning 7 a.m till 5 p.m.

Guizhou Province primary school teacher Mr. Wu Renhui was arrested and imprisoned in Guizhou Province Men's Forced Labour Camp, where he was tortured. In July 2008, guards made him wear thick clothing in summer and run in the hot sun.

Military Training Under the Hot Sun

Practitioner Ms. Fang Shimei from Wenshan City, Yunnan Province was arrested in 2003 and detained at Yunnan Province No. 2 Women's Prison.

During the hot summer, she was forced to run and do military drills on the cement ground in the scorching sun. From 7 a.m until 6 p.m, she ran to and fro for more than ten hours without a break. As she was previously made to sit for long hours and was not allowed to move, her muscles had atrophied. This sudden strenuous exercise this caused great damage to her body.

Practitioner Mr. Ding Wenbing from Shehong County, Sichuan Province, was taken to Xinhua Forced Labour Camp in Mianyang City on January 19th, 2012, where he was tortured. During the hottest days in summer, guards made him stand at attention under the scorching sun. He was not allowed to drink anything.

Running Out in the Hot Sun

In July 2001, Mr. Zhang Xiaohong was detained in Xinhua Forced Labour Camp in Mianyang. The guards dragged him outside on the hottest days of summer and made him run fast for two hours. He was not given any water to drink. If he refused to run, inmates pulled him in front and pushed him from behind.

Exposed to the Sun and Forbidden to Use the Toilet

Mr. Wang Sutong was arrested and sent to Sanshui Forced Labour Camp, Guangdong Province, in November 2000. During summer where temperatures reached 39 o C (about 102 o F), one could even get heatstroke indoors. Yet guards made practitioners stay outdoors in the hot sun. They were not allowed to drink any water nor were they allowed to go to the toilet.

Handcuffed to a Tree Out in the Hot Sun

Ms. Yang Jie, a sales person at an insurance company, was sentenced to two years of forced labour in December 2000. In the No. 2 Division of Ningxia Women's Forced Labour Camp, guard Ma Aiping handcuffed her to a big tree, hands behind her back, and left her baking in the hot sun. She used the torture Ms. Yang Jie was subjected to as an example to coerce other practitioners into giving up their belief.

Handcuffed Outdoors for a Year

Mr. Luo Xiufeng from Xigu, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, was sentenced to six years in prison in August 2006. He was taken to Lanzhou Prison and made to wear handcuffs. He was shackled to a cement pole outdoors for nearly a year, burnt by the sun in summer and exposed to cold winds in winter.

Unwavering Faith Despite Brutal Torture

Mr. Zhao Shuaiqing, head at the Zhuzhou City Finance Division in Hunan Province, was sent to Wangling Prison in 2002. During his detention, he shouted “Falun Gong is good” every day no matter how severely guards and inmates beat him.

In the summer, guards and inmates dragged him outside to be roasted out in the scorching sun. In the cold of winter, they took off his clothes and left him outdoors. Mr. Zhao continued to shout, “Falun Gong is good!”

Conclusion

During the hottest days of summer, people try to labour less and avoid the heat. However, CCP officials use the extreme weather to torture Falun Gong practitioners.

This form of torture is not only used in prisons, forced labour camps, and detention centres, it is also widely employed in brainwashing facilities, as well as other places of detention. The cruelty of this torture and its widespread use is extremely disturbing.