Falun Gong Practitioner Ms. Zhao Huiju on Brink of Death from Torture at Xinxiang Jail (Photos)

Photos: The diagnosis from the hospital showing Ms. Zhao Huiju's urgent situation

Zhao Huiju is fifty-two years old and she is from the Xigaohuang Village, of Pingdingshan City in the Henan Province. On September 25, 2003, she went to Lianwa Town of Lushan County to hand out flyers explaining the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong and was reported to the police. Around one hundred police from the county's public security bureau and national security brigade were sent to arrest her. In a public place she was brutally beaten up, kicked along the ground for a couple of meters, and dragged by her hair to the police car. One elderly woman spoke out for her and said, "Why are the people's police beating up the people?" Before she could say anything more, a tall policeman emerged out of the crowd and slapped both sides of her face repeatedly until she spat blood from her mouth. At that time, there were more than one hundred bystanders and they all witnessed these brutal acts.

Due to the beatings, there were bruises all over Zhao Huiju's body. After she was taken into police custody, she continued to suffer inhuman torture that caused the recurrence of her high blood pressure and heart disease. She also lapsed into a coma. The police sent her to the hospital for emergency treatment. However, she did not regain consciousness until several hours later. The county police were afraid of taking responsibility should she die, so they fined her 1,000 Yuan (1) to release her on bail for three months and let her family members take her home on September 30.

Liu Yawei, the vice party secretary of the political and legal committee and director of "610 Office" (2) of the Xinhua District, thought this punishment was too light and he told the county police to re-arrest her stating that, "Zhao Huiju is a diehard practitioner. Who would be held responsible if anything happened?" When the county police explained that she had high blood pressure and heart disease problems, Liu Yawei said, "I don't believe her."

On October 1, the second day after Zhao Huiju was released, Liu Yawei and his boss, Wang Xianfang, the party secretary of the political and legal committee, went to Xigaohuang Village to arrest her. They forced the village leaders to trick her into coming out of her home by telling her they only wished to talk with her. As soon as Zhao Huiju left her home, Lushan County police immediately took her away, but her arrest was not announced until October 15.

In the days that followed, the police brutally tortured her and her old diseases recurred many times as a result. At least four times she fell unconscious and was sent to hospital for emergency treatment. Each time she was on the verge of death, the police would set her free so as to avoid responsibility. However, once she showed any sign of recovery, they would arrest her again. The same episode repeated many times. Moreover, the police had her family pay for everything; from the medical expenses to traffic expenses and the police's food and entertainment expenses. All these expenses totaled more than ten thousand Yuan, which caused her family a great deal of hardship. Despite the fact that Zhao Huiju was in grave danger, under the instruction of Liu Yawei, the judiciary department of the Lushan County secretly sentenced her to jail for five years. On the night of December 9, 2003, Zhao Huiju was suddenly kidnapped from her home and sent to the Lushan County jail. At this time her daughter had just given birth and was in need of her mother's help with her 9-day-old baby.

Due to the extremely brutal torture, Zhao Huiju's physical condition became very weak and she was twice rejected admission to the Xinxiang Jail. However, the judiciary department of the Lushan County refused to release her on medical bail or to allow her to serve the sentence outside of prison. On February 5, 2004, the Lushan court issued a document ordering the Xinxiang Jail to admit Zhaohui without regard to her poor her health condition. On the same day she was sent to the jail, she fell unconscious again. On February 8, her family members were informed that she was on the brink of death. When her daughter carried the two-month-old baby to visit her and saw her tortured beyond recognition, she burst into tears. Zhao's eighty-year-old mother was also crying sadly. Currently Zhao Huiju could die at anytime. We would like to ask the Xinxiang Jail to immediately release Zhao Huiju according to relevant rules and regulations. We also demand the police from the Lushan County who tortured Zhao be punished. We appeal to all the righteous people to condemn the torture of this good and kind person!

Phone numbers of the persons responsible:

Liu Yawei, the vice party secretary of the political and legal committee and director of "610 Office" of the Xinhua District: 86-375-4938552 (Office), 86-13087065588 (mobile)

Zhang Dangyi, captain of the national security brigade in Lushan County: 86-13937525818 (C)

(1) Yuan is the Chinese currency; the average monthly pay of an urban worker is 500 Yuan

(2) The "610 Office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/2/26/68496.html