Cruel Torture at Jilin Jail Shows no Regard for Human Life

Beginning in June 2003, the majority of the Falun Dafa practitioners in Jilin Jail went on a hunger strike to protest the severe persecution. Since October, there are many Falun Dafa practitioners being held in what are called the "strictly monitored" or "small" cells. They have been cruelly tortured by being dragged out of their beds. Then, with both hands cuffed behind their backs, they are hung by a rope that is tied to the window frames with only a toe touching the ground. Another method of torture is where one hand is cuffed to one bunk bed and the other hand to another bed and then the two beds are pulled apart suspending the victim in-between. Either method of torture is extremely brutal and causes excruciating pain. Recently, the vicious crimes of the Jilin Jail have been frequently reported to the public. The police are very fearful, but despite this, they have started applying new methods to torture Dafa practitioners.

One of these kinds of torture uses reinforcing bars (rebar) fixed onto a board. They twist the bodies of the practitioners between these bars. The practitioners' hands or legs are pulled apart in the upper sideways or lower sideways positions. When the police pull the practitioners' bodies to the extreme, they will tie the practitioners' bodies in a twisted position. The police put sticks, bowls, cans, bottles etc., between their bodies and the board. Finally, they completely suspend the practitioners' bodies in midair. As time passes, the practitioners experience extreme pain, since all their joints are at awkward angles putting extreme pressure on their joints and tearing their ligaments.

Jilin Jail mandate instructs each police team that Falun Dafa practitioners should not be allowed to die in regular jail cells. All of them should be sent to the "small" or "strictly monitored" cells. In these cells, all deaths will be counted as a "suicide" or a "natural death."

Since June, 2003, the majority of Falun Dafa practitioners illegally jailed at Jilin prison decided to validate Dafa through their own action and restrain the police brutality using their righteous thoughts and behaviour. All who wrote a "Four Statements" letter [the so-called "guarantee letter, repentance letter and exposition letter"] were under great pressure and did so against their own will. They wrote their solemn declaration declaring that the "Four Statements" they signed are null and void and they handed them back to the police in person. They expressed that they would cultivate Dafa determinedly to the end. At the same time, most of the practitioners refused to join the so-called "re-education through labour" programme and protested against it with the hunger strike.

The police became even more aggressive in persecuting the practitioners. As of October, there are over a dozen Falun Dafa practitioners being jailed in the "small cells." All the "small cells" in the jail are fully packed with practitioners. Due to lack of space, the police invented something even more vicious. They reused the old, decrepit small cells that had not been in use for a long time and installed a kind of torture bed there. They forced these Falun Dafa practitioners onto the bed. They also installed ropes to hang the practitioners off the ground. Under this vicious torture, many Falun Dafa practitioners' arms and legs become so severely swollen that it was too horrible to look at. The benevolent Falun Dafa practitioners have been tortured to the point of being permanently deformed.

The experiences of several practitioners:

Since 2002, when the first group of Falun Gong practitioners entered this prison, the police have inhumanely tortured practitioners. Practitioner Zhang Hongwei had been held in what are called "strictly monitored" or "small" cells, since he was arrested in May 2002. He was dragged out of bed, handcuffed to the bed with his four limbs pulled apart like an "X". He was tortured like this for hours and sometimes this went on for several days. This went far beyond anyone's forbearance. At this time, Zhang has been in this ruthless jail section for one and a half years. His physical health is very poor. Another practitioner named Liang Zhenxing was told to write the "Four Statements." When he refused to write it, he was forced to sit on a small piece of wood or a piece of angle iron. Every day, he has to sit like this for over ten hours; otherwise he would be tortured more severely. Practitioners Lei Ming, Yang Feng and Teng Weiqiang also received this severe torture. Some practitioners' hands and legs were maimed beyond use. Some of them had their fingernails or toenails ripped out during the ordeal.

Currently Jilin Jail is still very vicious in persecuting Dafa practitioners. One can hardly imagine how vicious the persecution is without these personal experiences. Our purpose in taking the risk to write down the truth of this terrible persecution is to reveal the identities of these evil perpetrators and expose their hideous methods to the public. We appeal to all people to support the compassionate and courageous Falun Dafa practitioners who are clarifying the truth and longing for a peaceful cultivation environment.

The police name list:

Political Commissar of Jilin Prison: Liu Changjiang
Education Section Chief: Tan Fuhua
Secretary of the Education Section: Li Yongsheng
Prison Political Section Chief: Liu Wei
Secretary of Team No. Four: Zhang Guiling
Team No. Six Leader: Pan Hongjun
Team No. Five Leader: With the last name Lin, who is the most vicious
The prisoners who beat practitioners for the police: Xu Zhigang, Gao Yulin and Guo Tieshu

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2003/11/17/60757.html