Ms. Cao Yali Dies as a Result of Brutal Torture in Heizuizi Labour Camp

Falun Dafa Practitioner Ms Cao Yali, 46 years old, from Changchun City, Jilin Province, started to practise Falun Dafa in 1996. After the persecution of Falun Dafa began in July 1999, she went twice to Beijing to appeal for Dafa, was arrested many times, andsentenced twice to labour camp terms. Due to her determined belief in Falun Dafa, Ms Cao was persecuted to death during her second term in Heizuizi Labour Camp. Afraid of taking responsibility, the labour camp released her on medical parole in August, 2003, but she died on the morning of February 6th, 2004 with her charges not cleared.

In the evening of January 24, 2002, Cao Yali was forcibly taken from her home by a dozen local policemen. She was blindfolded and detained in a secret interrogation room in Changchun City, where she was tortured over a 24-hour period with various brutal methods, including savage beatings to her head with an iron bucket, sitting on the "Tiger Bench"*, electric shocks, sleep-deprivation, and having cold-water poured over her lightly-clad body in minus 20 degrees outdoor temperatures. Later on, Cao Yali was again arrested and detained in Changchun City Third Detention Centre. She and other practitioners there were abused even more brutally after a group of practitioners managed to broadcast truth-clarifying footage on Changchun TV on March 5th, 2002.

Later Cao Yali was sentenced to her second Heizuizi Labour Camp term for two years without any evidence presented. She was very determined in Dafa and was persecuted to the extreme both physically and mentally, her blood pressure reaching 220 mmHg. Such intense persecution eventually resulted in her death.

*Practitioners 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. They are not allowed to turn their heads, close their eyes, talk to anyone or move at all. Several inmates are assigned to watch over the practitioners and force them to remain motionless while sitting on the bench. Usually some hard objects are inserted underneath the practitioners' lower legs or ankles to make it harder for them to tolerate this abuse (see illustration on http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2001/11/24/16156.html)

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/3/2/68976.html