Additional Information of How 31-Year-Old Female Falun Gong Practitioner Zhang Hong Was Persecuted to Death

Zhang Hong was thirty-one years old, and worked as a pharmacist of the Number Four Hospital of Harbin City. She lived near the arboretum in the Dongli Section of Harbin City. Because of her firm persistence in practising Falun Dafa, she was illegally sentenced to a forced labour camp. On July 22nd, 2004, she was once again illegally sentenced to Wanjia Forced Labour Camp in Harbin City. Here she died after suffering horrific persecution on July 31st.

Under the high frequency and extremely long, cruel persecution, numerous Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted to death in Wanjia Forced Labour Camp. The Wanjia Forced Labour Camp tries to force every Falun Gong practitioner to write the "Three Statements." They will torture, force to squat, hang up by their arms and electrically shock practitioners. Some practitioners were badly burned by electric batons--it was unbearable to watch.

On the morning of July 22nd, 2004, Falun Gong practitioners Zhang Hong, Di Lihua and another practitioner, were forcibly taken to the training unit of the Wanjia Forced Labour Camp (the women's training unit is run by four male captains). Immediately, the captains and policemen tried to force them into writing the "Three Statements." Zhang Hong and Di Lihua refused this unreasonable demand. The instructor of the forced labour camp punished them and forced them to squat down and did not allow Zhang Hong to eat lunch. Other Falun Gong practitioners brought back a very small portion of left over rice and soup from the canteen for her. After lunch, the instructor, other detained prisoners, and the training class instructor, Zhang Quiyun, handcuffed Zhang Hong to a bed with both hands stretched out horizontally until the next day.

On July 23rd, the police claimed that Zhang Hong had "heart problems" and planned to give her an injection. Police continued to try to coerce her and the other practitioners to write the "three letters." Zhang Hong refused to take the injection, so police pushed her onto a bed (there were no bed covers or mattress, just the bed board), handcuffed her to the head of the bed with her hands over her head and tied her feet to the end of the bed. They then forcibly gave her the injection. This treatment caused Zhong Hong to wet the bed.

Zhang Hong was handcuffed to the hard bed board from July 23 until July 30. The window was opened at night and Zhang Hong only wore a short sleeve blouse, even though it was very cold [The labour camp is in northern China. It is cold in late night and early morning during the summer]. They were not allowed to put on covers or clothes. One night, it was very cold. With Zhang Hong and Di Lihua's request, the other practitioner who was on night-duty gave them some cloths. The next day the disciplinary guard, Wu Baoyun, scolded the person who was on duty.

On July 24th, Zhang Hong had gone on a hunger strike and on the 26th she was force-fed. The police claimed that they did that to save her life. Actually they had added a large amount of salt to the corn soup. This type of force-feeding causes severe damage to the body. Captains Zhao Yuqing and Yao Fuchang refused to let Zhang Hong drink any water.

Later, they force-fed Zhang Hong three times a day. Every time during the forced feeding, the disciplinary guard, the head of prisoners in the cell Zhang Quiyun and others would pull Zhang Hong's hair, press down her head, insult her with vulgar language and force the feeding tube into her stomach.

While Zhang Hong tolerated the extreme pain both physically and mentally, she tried to tell the facts of Falun Gong to the police and reason with them. The police wrapped her mouth with plastic tape to stop her from speaking.

Due to the persecution by the police, Zhang Hong became unconscious. However, disciplinary guard Li Changjie told captain Zhao Yuqing that she had faked her painful look. Zhao Yuqing threatened that he would "take care of her" (which meant he would use an electric baton to torture her).

On the afternoon of the 30th, Zhang Hong was forced to sit in an iron chair. Her head was covered with many white adhesive bandages and her hands were handcuffed behind her back. She looked very skinny and her legs and feet were very swollen.

At 8 a.m. on the 31st, Zhang Hong cried out, " I do not want to die, I want to go home"

Around 1 p.m. on the 31st, two policemen wearing masks lead four forced labour camp prisoners carrying Zhang Hong away on a stretcher, claiming that they were taking her to the hospital and they also sterilised the room she had been in. Later police section chief Zhao tried to cover up the evidence and said Zhang Hong had died from renal failure due to a heart attack.

When a relative saw Zhang Hong's body, her eyes were wide open, her mouth was open and she had lost thirty to forty Jin (over 40 lb). She had also soiled herself. Forced labour camp personnel demanded her relatives cremate her body as quickly as possible.

Zhang Hong's family is now trying to appeal and does not agree with the postmortem examination and cremation. They will follow legal procedures to appeal.

The criminal's that participated in the persecution of Zhang Hong are, among others;

Male instructors: Captain Wu Hongxun, Zhao Yuqin, Yao Fuchang, Jiang Chao

Female instructors: Deputy captain Yang Guohong, Nuo Zhongbo

Instructors: Wu Baoyun, Li Chunzia, Li Changjie

Also: Zhang Quiyun (the English Teacher of Shitauhezi Middle School in Zhang Zhi City), Chen Lingling, Liu Hiujun (from a village in Bin Township)