Mr. Song Guoli Subjected to the Torture “Hanging on Ice”

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Song Guoli has been repeatedly persecuted since he was arrested in 2003. He was interrogated by torture, imprisoned in a detention centre, a labour camp and a brainwashing centre, and has suffered various tortures including a particularly brutal one known as “Hanging on ice.” The following is an account of the persecution that Mr. Song has experienced.

Mr. Song, about 60, lives in Sanhe Village, Dongwan Township, Jingyuan County, Gansu Province. He was arrested by the local police around 9:00 a.m. on January 13th, 2003, and taken to the Dongwan Township Police Station.

The police interrogated him by torture. They handcuffed his arms behind his back for 24 hours. The handcuffs were fastened so tightly that his wrists were injured and the scars are still visible years later.

Mr. Song was transferred to the Jingyuan County Police Department the next day. The police handcuffed him to a heating pipe and further interrogated him. An hour later, he was sent to the Jingyuan County Detention Cente.

While detained there, Mr. Song was persecuted with the torture called “Hanging on ice.” In the dead of winter, head guard Lu poured cold water on the ground in the courtyard. After it began turning to ice, Lu forced Mr. Song to “stand” on the ice, with only his hands and toes touching the icy ground while his body had to be in the air. The torture lasted an hour, causing his fingers and toes to ache and become numb.

In addition, the guards made Mr. Song empty the buckets that people relieved themselves into at night and do other heavy work. They also encouraged the inmates to beat and kick him.

After more than 10 days at the detention centre, Mr. Song was sentenced to one and a half years of forced labour and transferred to Ward Three of Gansu Province No. 1 Forced Labour Camp.

The labour camp guards beat and abused Mr. Song. They forbade him from talking to other people, and had inmates Sha Ronghua and Ma Xiaoyun monitor him. The guards attempted to have him write the Three Statements to renounce practising Falun Gong but Mr. Song refused.

When the fall came, the guards made Mr. Song work 12 hours a day doing heavy farm work, but did not give him enough food.

When Mr. Song was about to finish his term and was to be released, officers from the Dongwan Township Government and the Dongwan Township Police Station transferred him to the Baiyin City Brainwashing Cente on July 15th, 2004.

Mr. Song was severely tortured at the brainwashing cente. Under the severe pressure he was tricked into signing the "Repentance Statement."

Even after he was released, the police still monitored Mr. Song and often harassed him.

Practitioner Mr. Zhang Long is also from Sanhe Village. He went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong in 2000. He never returned home and his whereabouts are unknown.