Qiqihar City Practitioner Li Huifeng Appeals to Court Regarding Persecution He Experienced

On January 22, 2001, Qiqihar City Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Li Huifeng was taken away by the police. In July 2001, he was charged and sentenced to 12 years in prison by the Jianhua District Court. Mr. Li appealed to a higher court according to the law, but the Qiqihar Mid-level Court went so far as to write in their verdict that Mr. Li accepted the initial ruling and withdrew his appeal. On January 24, 2002 Mr. Li was sent to the Harbin No. 3 Prison and later transferred to the Daqing Red Satellite Prison. He has been detained there ever since. During his illegal detention, Mr. Li was subjected to inhuman torture methods such as the "big hang up," "electric shock of private parts," and "locking up in a small cell." Once he was tortured to the brink of death.

Mr. Li Huifeng gives the following account in his appeal:

My name is Li Huifeng and I am 32 years old. I am a Falun Gong practitioner from the Qiqihar City of Heilongjiang Province. I live at Room 801, Unit 5, Building 7, Guanghua No. 2 Committee, Tiefeng District, Qiqihar City (To contact my family, call 86-452-2817020).

At around 5 pm on January 22, 2001, I was forcibly taken away by the No.3 Middle Team police of the Jianhua District, Qiqihar City. The next day I was sent to the Qiqihar City No. 2 Detention Centre. In July 2001, I was charged and sentenced to 12 years in jail by the Jianhua District Court. I would not accept it and appealed to a higher court according to the law, but the Qiqihar City Mid-level Court went so far as to write in their verdict that I had accepted the initial ruling and withdrew my appeal. On January 24, 2002, I was sent to the Harbin No. 3 Prison and later transferred to the Daqing City's Red Satellite Prison until today.

Since I was arrested on January 22, 2001, some policemen personally or ordered prisoners to inhumanly torture me. The following is what they did to me:

At around 5 pm on January 22, 2001, I was visiting a practitioner Wen Jie's home when five policemen broke in suddenly, covered our heads and abducted the five of us (still barefoot) to the No. 3 Police Middle Team. They immediately tortured me cruelly, trying to get what they wanted. They cuffed my hands behind my back and hung me up two meters above the ground. They tied my legs with a rope and then pulled the rope to stretch my body (a torture method called "Big hang up"). It was very painful. In the meantime, the police also kicked my sides, making me swing back and forth, adding to my pain. The police even shouted, "My happiness is built upon your suffering." They shocked and burned my private parts with a 10k-volt electric baton. I could not lift my arms for more than six months. The next day, I was sent to the Qiqihar City No. 2 Detention Centre and during the one-year illegal detention there, I was persecuted until I became like a mere skeleton.

In July 2001, I was charged and sentenced to 12 years in jail by the Jianhua District Court. I wrote, "Not acceptable, will appeal" on the verdict. After I was sent back to the detention centre, I wrote an appeal letter to the higher court, but the Qiqihar City Mid-level Court went so far as to write in their verdict that I and Wen Jie (who was sentenced to 11 years in prison; he would not accept it either) had accepted the initial ruling and withdrew our appeals.

On January 24, 2002, I was sent to the Intensified Persecution Team of the Harbin No. 3 Prison. Because I insisted on my innocence, police Huang Dadui and Gong Dawei locked me up in a small isolated cell to be tormented. It was chilly in February at the time. They would not allow me to wear warm clothes and left all the windows wide open. In the evening, I was not given a bed cover. Each day I was only allowed a tiny amount of corn paste. They also sent two prisoners to keep an eye on me. I was not released until 39 days later when I was almost dead. Half a month after, I was transferred to the No. 6 Ward Area and was monitored by the criminals day and night. I didn't have any personal freedom and was forced to do physical labour, report my thoughts and write a "Three Statements" and a "self-criticism article," etc. The division head Zhu Wenchen and Tang Xinmin adopted harsh methods such as verbally abusing and humiliating me, withholding money and personal items that my family had sent to me so that I couldn't even purchase articles to wash up, refusing to deliver letters from my family, etc. Tang also broke the law while "enforcing" it by ordering prisoners to beat me (even the prisoners could not bear to do it) or torture practitioners at will. The director of the Harbin Prison "610 Office" Chen Shuhai and Li Fucai often brainwashed me and other practitioners and made us watch videos slandering Falun Gong.

From 2001 to 2004, because a few practitioners were beaten to death or disability by the criminals in Harbin Prison under the order of the police, to cover up the truth under the outside pressure, on July 1, 2004, 108 practitioners were transferred to other prisons in Daqing, Tailai, Mudanjiang, and other cities. Thirty practitioners including me were moved to Daqing City Red Satellite Prison on that day. To cooperate with the Heilongjiang Provincial Forced Labour Bureau and hide the facts about persecution, the Daqing Prison confiscated all of our items except our clothing, bed cover and articles for washing. They still haven't returned them to us. On July 9, I was sent to the No.1 Ward Area and subjected to similar restrictions, i.e. no family visits and my appeal letter to the Daqing prison prosecutor's office was not delivered.

Five years of persecution have greatly harmed my body and mind. My wife Zhang Shuzhe was arrested on the same day I was. She was sent to forced labour first and then sentenced to prison. Today she is still suffering in the Harbin Women's Prison. Our family was broken up for a long period of time, and our family members were soaked in great sorrow.

Here I call for help from countries and people from around the world with a sense of justice, conscience and compassion. I hope that all kind-hearted people will help to restore justice!

Plaintiff: Falun Gong practitioner Li Huifeng

November 15, 2004

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