The Torture That Led to the Death of 26 Year Old Mr. Song Changguang

Mr. Song Changguang, 26, lived in Shuangchenzi Village. He started practising Falun Gong in 1997 and experienced great physical and mental improvements.

In 2001, Mr. Song Changguang was to graduate from the University of Jilin, Telecommunications College. In December he went to Beijing to appeal, in accordance with his rights to do so. He was arrested on Tiananmen Square, returned to Jilin authorities by the government's liaison office in Beijing, and detained in the Chaoyanggou detention centre. Later, he was sentenced to two years in a labour camp and was sent to the notorious No. 4 group. While there, he encountered inhuman torture. Especially in September 2001, Chaoyanggou Labour Camp started using force and many inhumane tortures to transform the detained Falun Gong practitioners.

Mr. Song was badly beaten by the policemen and non-practitioner prisoners because he did not give up his beliefs and would not write the "Five Guarantee Letters" [promising not to practise Falun Gong again]. His body was covered with bruises. His toenails fell off due to a cruel beating with a hammer. He was left unable to walk and had serious pulmonary tuberculosis. Later his family spent money to get him out of prison to see a doctor, send him to the hospital (the month long stay in the hospital cost them 10,000 Yuan [500 Yuan is the average monthly salary for a worker in China]) and then took him back to home. Due to internal wounds and the foot injuries, he had difficulty walking, could no longer work, and often coughed and experienced lung congestion. Due to these physical and mental injuries, he was often in extreme pain and his health status was unstable. In November 2003, he stayed in bed and could no longer stand up. His family sent him to the Jiutai hospital for treatment, but medicine did not help him. Six days later, Song Changguan died on November 12th.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2003/11/30/61566.html