Senior Practitioner Ms. Liang Yunying Tortured 38 Times on Tiger Bench

Ms. Liang Yunying has no grudges or hatred. She only has compassion for the evildoers, because she knows those involved in the persecution of Falun Gong are victims themselves who are being used by the Chinese regime.

She said, "From January 17th to 19th in 2011, the police tied a long leather belt around my waist for three days, and my hands were also tied. My legs were tied with a leather belt. On top of that, they tied me up again with a long cloth, two inches wide and three meters long, and tortured me on the tiger bench¹. The police called it a 'comfortable chair.' They also called the room their 'conversation room.' One officer held the carrot and another one carried the baton. They played filthy videos and forced me to watch. Both of my hands were beaten until they turned black."

This was just one episode of Ms. Liang's own narration of how she was tortured by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agents.

Arrested Nine Times for Appealing for Falun Gong

Ms. Liang, from Nanyang Oilfield of Henan Province, is 68 years old. She used to be the team leader at her company and was awarded "best employee" for many years. After practising Falun Gong, she was always considerate of others and followed Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be a better person. In a short time, all the diseases that she used to have disappeared.

Because she could not remain silent while Falun Gong was being slandered, Ms. Liang appealed for justice. She has been arrested nine times in the past 14 years, and placed in detention centres and jails. Her home was ransacked nine times. Ms. Liang was forced to sit on the tiger bench 38 times. She was kept in shackles and handcuffs – treatment reserved for death row inmates, three times. In total she was shackled for 37 days. While she was detained, she was routinely beaten by the guards and inmates.

Throughout these last 14 years, Ms. Liang has suffered humiliation and torture physically and mentally.

Ms. Liang's Account of the Persecution She Experienced

“In July 1999, when the CCP started to persecute Falun Gong, I went to Beijing to appeal for justice. After I came home, I was put into a brainwashing class which was organised by the police station and my company three times. Each practitioner was extorted five thousand yuan². We had to register daily in the morning, afternoon, and evening with the security department of my company, even on holidays. One day in April 2001, Lu Chao from my company's security department and two others from the 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) came to my home and asked me to go to the police station. As soon as I arrived, I was sent to the Tanghe County Detention Centre for one month.

More than 20 people in several company cars came to my home and drove me to the Nanyang Municipal Politics and Law Institute brainwashing centre in August 2001. Several of my neighbours witnessed this. They said that the people arresting me were no different than bandits. How could they be so cruel to a harmless older lady?

Several people from the police station came to my house and ransacked it in October 2001. They said that someone reported me for handing out booklets. They took me to the Tanghe County Detention Centre for a month. Afterward, Li Yong from my company's security department picked me up and sent me to the Oilfield Detention Centre for another 17 days. On November 17th, I was sent to the Shibalihe Women's Labor Camp in Zhengzhou. After the doctor did a physical examination, they refused to take me because I had illness symptoms, so they drove me back home.

I went grocery shopping one day in September 2002. Several people from my company's security department dragged me into a car and sent me to the Nanyang Municipal Politics and Law Institute brainwashing centre. They tried to force me to renounce Falun Gong. I was not allowed to sleep for four days and three nights. I was only given half a bun for each meal and no water. As I still had not given in after 20 days, they put handcuffs on me that were locked to two big square wooden benches and a cloth bag was hung over my neck.

Several people took turns slapping my face. Whenever they mentioned a manager's name, they told me that he said to beat me to death and send my body to a crematorium. They told me that they were going easy on me compared to how the younger practitioners were being tortured. When they slept at night, they cuffed me to a higher point so that my toes could barely touch the floor. My mouth kept bleeding. During that time, the handcuffs magically opened a couple of times. When they saw that, they thought the handcuffs were broken and brought another set.

I was arrested by police from Nanyang City Police Department in 2003 and taken to the Shangzhuang Detention Centre in Nanyang City for ten months. Because I told them that I was a good person who follows Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, guard Yuan Yanping slapped my face. I had to wear handcuffs and shackles three times for a total of 37 days.

I was arrested again and taken to the Shangzhuang Detention Centre in Nanyang City in 2005 for one year and five months. On February 7th, 2007, I was directly sent to the Xinxiang Women's Prison and imprisoned for a year and six months. Because I refused to "transform" [forcibly renounce Falun Gong] I was not allowed to use the toilet. On October 13th, I was put into a solitary confinement cell and only given a small piece of bread for each meal. By the end of December, as I still refused to "convert," they put me on the tiger bench.

Persecution Intensified

After the Wenchuan earthquake, from June 13th to 30th in 2008, they increased the intensity of persecution. They made me stand or walk every day but I was not allowed to sit down. I was not allowed to sleep until midnight, and sometimes not until one or two o'clock in the morning.

They kept changing the guards who monitored me, and they slapped me in the face. I told Wu Yuting, who was monitoring me, "The oldest one who monitors me is 49 years old. You are the youngest and you are just 32 years old. No matter who beats me, I will still say that Falun Gong is good." After team leader Yang heard about this, she cuffed my hands to the bed and told a criminal to put a face towel around my mouth and pull hard.

Whenever my family came to visit me, they noticed the bruises all over my body. How could they imagine that those bruises were caused by my being beaten with tennis shoes, sandals, slippers, and other kinds of shoes. Sometimes the evildoers took off their sandals and jammed them into my mouth and pushed me hard against the wall. As a result of the constant beating, my face was twisted. A person whose last name was Wang said, “Yes, old lady, I am beating you because I want to reduce my term. I have to do this because I have an old mom and kids at home.” I told her that I would never hate anyone no matter how badly they treated me. I always smiled and told them, “Falun Gong is so good, why don't you believe it?”

After I came home from a long imprisonment on August 25th, 2008, my company still arranged a co-worker to “accompany” (monitor) me when I went grocery shopping.

Never Gave up Her Faith in Falun Gong

I went grocery shopping on February 3rd, 2009. Zhang Zhenyi from the local 610 Office led four people to arrest me and take me to the police department. After we got there, they stomped on my feet and cuffed me to the sofa. My hands were bleeding because of the handcuffs. It was so painful that I had to walk with my husband's help. Several days later, I was sent to the Nanyang Detention Centre but failed to pass the physical examination so they sent me home. Many people witnessed the scene. I said loudly, "Look! Everybody is watching what you are doing. The police are arresting innocent people in broad daylight!"

I went grocery shopping one day in September 2009, and picked up a brochure about Falun Gong on the way. So I handed it to another person who was walking by. That person reported me, so I was taken again to the Tanghe County Police Department Detention Centre. A month later, I was extorted five thousand yuan for a "bail-out" fee.

I went to a rural area to tell people the truth about Falun Gong in November 2009. Two youngsters reported me. Officers from the Xinye Police Department arrested and detained me at the Xinye County Detention Centre. In the detention centre, I went on a hunger strike for nine days.

The deputy head of the police department Liu came with six officers to inspect the cells on September 8. They told everyone to stand facing the wall. Someone pulled me but I did not cooperate and did not move. I said that I was innocent. Liu slapped my face, pointed to a guard, and said, "Let her die. Let her die and I will take the responsibility." He then slapped me more. My mouth started bleeding and my face became swollen. I wrote on the paper that they gave me, “Falun Gong is good; persecuting Falun Gong is the greatest injustice.” Because of this, they sentenced me to three and a half years in prison. On November 11th, 2010, I was sent to Xinxiang Women's Prison.

That day, November 11th, 2010, I was taken to an individual cell, which the prison used specifically to persecute practitioners. On November 12th, I started a hunger strike that lasted ten days. On December 6th, 2010, I was transferred to ward nine, the place specifically set up to persecute practitioners. I stayed two nights there and then was sent back to an individual cell.

Over all these years, no matter how the evildoers treated me, I had no hatred for them. The only thing I want is to expose the persecution of Falun Gong and the lies.

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.

2. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.