More Details on the Torture Death of Zhao Guoan at Labour Camp in Xuchang City

Mr. Zhao Guoan was tortured to death in the Third Forced Labour Camp in Xuchang City. It was some time before Falun Gong practitioners learned of Zhao Guoan's death because the news was blocked by administrators, who released a report saying that Zhao Guoan had been sent home because he was sick. Although the exact details are not known, I want to write down all I can remember from that time.

In the camp workshop at about 9:00 a.m. on December 24, 2003, Zhao Guoan declared to the supervisor of Section Three, Ma Huating, that his denunciation of Falun Gong was null and void and that he would continue to practise Dafa. This was the second time he had told administrators of his decision to persevere in the practice of Dafa. The first time was a week before when he went to talk to the head of the brigade, Jia Zhigang, about his decision to continue the practice. All Falun Gong practitioners detained in the Third Labour Camp had to take two tests a month. If their answers were not satisfactory based on requirements set up by the labour camp, camp officials would torture them by tying them up with three to eleven ropes. Zhao Guoan originally was detained in Group Three of Brigade One. He was tied up with eleven ropes because he did not follow the requirements when taking the tests in November. As a result, he could not lift up his arms and even had a difficult time holding his rice bowl to eat. After he was confined for several days he was sent to the strictly monitored group. All those in that Brigade who persevered in their belief were put into one group. Under orders from Shi Baolong, three prisoners closely monitored each Falun Gong practitioner, following them when they used the washroom, ate, or worked the fields. There were a total of eleven Falun Gong practitioners detained in Group One.

After Zhao Guoan finished talking with Ma Huating, he went back to the workshop, shouting loudly that he would persevere in practising Falun Gong. Jia Zhigang, the head of the Brigade, ordered several prisoners to knock Zhao Guoan down on the floor, cover his mouth, drag him out of the workshop, and put him in the confinement room. That night two other prisoners from Group One were sent to stay in the confinement room to monitor Zhao Guoan. According to these two prisoners, Zhao Guoan was tied to a chair with his hands behind is back and his feet bound. They did not untie him for meals or to let him relieve himself. The two prisoners went back to Group One after three days. They whispered to other prisoners that Zhao Guoan had been sent to the hospital because of pains in his abdomen. I think that the authorities were afraid that other practitioners would be able to hear the torture that went on in the confinement room because it was very close to the dormitory, so they moved him somewhere else to torture him. Two days later, the two prisoners said that Zhao Guoan had been sent home. We did not believe it, since such news would have been highly restricted. During the New Year's holidays, everyone in the brigade was very nervous, as if they were expecting their enemies to arrive. Falun Gong practitioners were not allowed to talk to each other. We never saw Zhao Guoan again after he was dragged out the workshop.

The people who repeatedly tortured Falun Gong practitioners were: Shi Baolong, the head of the section; Jia Zhigang, the head of Brigade One; and Liu Tianxun, Zhao Zhimin and Shen Jianwei from Brigade Two. This time, Shi Baolong and Ma Huating, brigade leaders, tortured Zhao Guoan. Other participants included Liu Tianxun, Jia Zhigang, Tan Junmin, and Li Xinjie. These are the chief persecutors of Falun Gong practitioners in the Third Forced Labour Camp.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2004/6/9/76692.html